Meagan Albright (Children's Literature)
Mem Fox, one of the go-to authors of perfect picture books for story time and for sharing with the youngest of book lovers, has a new classic with her latest title, Hello Baby! The playful, rhythmic text takes the reader on a journey of baby African animals, all beautifully brought to rich, sumptuous life by the art of Caldecott-honor illustrator Steve Jenkins. Jenkins’ art is perfect for sharing, both at the slight distance found at story time and pored over by individual readers. The combination of Jenkins’ simple, colorful, detailed art and the enchanting sparse cadence of Fox’s words make Hello Baby! a delightful addition to any young reader’s collection. The arena of children’s picture books about baby animals is crowded and highly competitive for a reason--this topic is immensely appealing to young children and Fox’s new book is easily this year’s best in this genre. This book is highly recommended for purchase by public libraries. 2009, Beach Lane Books, $16.99. Ages 3 to 5.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2009 (Vol. 77, No. 7))
A warm authorial voice asks baby, "Who are you?" and a parade of potential animals follows. Rhyming questions introduce furry and scaly candidates, creating an irresistible call-and-response, conversational reading experience. Young readers will surely answer each erroneous guess with an emphatic, enthusiastic "Noooo…!" Jenkins's vibrant cut- and torn-paper close-ups of exotic animals appear on double-page spreads of ample white space, giving readers room to thoroughly consider both illustrations and text. Vivid swaths of color and texture capture elephant wrinkles, crinkly gecko skin and even warthog whiskers. A small, full-body silhouette of each animal appears as well, providing a glimpse of the creature in motion. Fox's original language offers equally strong depictions of wildlife. She all but animates the stellar illustrations: A monkey fidgets with "clever" toes, a crocodile sits "silent and scary" and an owl gives readers a "wicked wink." Anticipation builds as baby waits for the right answer, which comes as a sweet finish on the final page. This picture book brims with fascinating animals, brilliant words and engaging artwork; it begs for cozy nightly readings. 2009, Beach Lane Books/Simon & Schuster, 32p, $16.99. Category: Picture book. Ages 0 to 5. Starred Review. © 2009 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Hope Morrison (The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, September 2009 (Vol. 63, No. 1))
This romp through the baby-animal kingdom runs through various engaging creatures that might be the speaker’s baby until finally landing on a wee person as the answer. Each spread offers a descriptive line (“Are you a monkey with clever toes?// Perhaps you’re a porcupine, twitching its nose”) and a large-scale close-up illustration of the featured animal, plus a small silhouette of the whole critter. The rhyming couplets are springy and inviting, and the animal descriptions offer tidbits for fact-loving preschoolers to find, while others will simply enjoy the zoological tour and teasing guessing game. Jenkins’ cut-paper illustrations incorporate a variety of paper sources, so that some components are textured while others are smooth, some may be painted while others are merely fluffed; most employ a tight focus that results in strong, portrait-like impact. In the gentle ending, the human narrator asks “Then who are you, baby? Wait, let me guess—/ Are you my treasure? The answer is . . . Yes!”, and the illustration shows a large human hand reaching for a small one. This has appeal for playtime, bedtime, or any time in between, especially for those little ones who can’t get enough of animals Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2009, Beach Lane/Simon, 32p., $16.99. Ages 2-4 yrs.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2009)
Are you a lion / with dust / on its paws?" Fox's rhyming text invites little ones to act like twelve animals. Each of Jenkins's realistic collages can't be contained in a double-page spread; a small silhouette shows the whole creature. All the silhouettes gather at the end before Fox's parent-trap ending: "Are you my treasure? / The answer is... / Yes!" Category: Preschool. 2009, Simon/Beach Lane, 32pp, 16.99. Ages 2 to 5. Rating: 3: Recommended, satisfactory in style, content, and/or illustration.