This Baby. That Baby.
by Cari Best; illus. by Rashin Kheiriyeh
Preschool    Schwartz/Random    40 pp.
2/24    9780593564639    $18.99
Library ed.  9780593564646    $21.99
e-book ed.  9780593564653    $10.99

A jaunty, rhythmic text sets the mood for considering similarities and differences among people: “Somewhere in the big big city across a beep-beep street…up two tall buildings…two happy babies look out their morning windows at the very same time. / This baby. / And that baby.” Rich, textured mixed-media art showcases an urban environment full of color, music, and life. The two babies set about their similarly structured but individual days. They both like games and songs, but not the same ones. They both require frequent diaper changes, get hungry, and need naps. The illustrations create humorous distinctions in the parallel routines, and the well-paced story offers plenty of room to pause and notice these details. When one baby’s nap ends in tears and the other’s failed nap ends in grumpiness, both are whisked out for walks headed in opposite directions. In an appropriate conclusion to this cheerful compare-and-contrast story, the babies end up at the same park bench, each one delighted to see the other.

From the January/February 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.