Pat-a-Cake, Simple Simon, Rock-a-bye, Baby: these and the many other rhymes that make up "Mother Goose" have become almost as much a staple of child-rearing as the rattle and the bottle. Little ones love its mix of lullabies and limericks, humor and sing-song verse, and they learn from it too. Gyo Fujikawa brought her inimitable style to this version, which features a mix of enchanting line drawings and warm color pictures. Adorable mice, led by a duck in uniform, man the boat in I Saw a Ship a-Sailing. A multicultural group of children circle round The Mulberry Bush. And The Three Kittens...

Chubby puppies, furry kittens, fuzzy chicks, downy ducklings: Gyo Fujikawa's lovable baby animals will captivate children. They're big (elephants) and small (mice), plump (piglets), and playful (lambs). With each picture, kids learn a little bit about the animal--the sound it makes, how soft it might feel, and what it can do. Plus, they'll discover something else very important: that very young creatures have to be petted, snuggled, and hugged very gently...just like the children themselves.