Sleepytime Rhyme is billed as a love song for babies--but then, is there anyone who doesn"t need a love song sung to them every once in a while? Simple, sweet rhymes enumerate everything a mother loves about her child: "Your special face,/ Your eyes,/ Your mouth./ I love/ Your knees/ Your north,/ Your south." The comforting repetition of the rhythm is extended by the soft, brightly colored illustrations. On every page, the mother holds and plays with her infant on the same divan in the same room. Behind them, the window reveals the only changing elements of each page: a mama cat with her kitten, a full-grown tree with a young sapling, big and small rainbows. Remy Charlip, well-loved illustrator of many classics (The Dead Bird, by Margaret Wise Brown) and author-illustrator of many more (Arm in Arm, Fortunately), has a uniquely recognizable style. In Sleepytime Rhyme, he has created a peaceful purple world that will soothe and warm anyone who is loved enough to hear this book read aloud. (Baby to preschool) --Emilie Coulter