Description

A refreshing note of realism counters each wishful fantasy in this sweet quartet. In Bird, a girl thinks her life might improve if she could “fly with ease over houses and trees”; in Baby, she longs to “get kissed on my ears and my fingers and toes… [and] be carried by Daddy wherever he goes.” (A boy is the protagonist in the remaining titles.) A logical mom foresees problems with the first scenario, however (food problems in winter, moisture problems in the rain), while the girl herself realizes the shortcomings of the second (“Do I really want to take a nap every single day?”). Cheery, round-faced characters populate Tharlet’s cozy watercolors; the abundance of open space on many spreads imparts an attractive, uncluttered feel. Ages 3-5.