Oozing verbal and visual glucose on every page, this parent-child episode will draw timorous toddlers like flies to marshmallow cremejust make sure they brush their teeth afterward. "All brand-new," a shy lamb rejects in turn the friendly overtures of a "flouncy pouncy rabbit," a "cheery crickety cricket," a "jolly robin redbreast" and a "swooping old hoot owl." Keeping his illustrations as simple as the text, Butler supplies for all shiny black eyes and, for the sheep, plushy fleeces, and places the creatures in a sunny meadow in which poppies float like little red hearts. A "bitty little mouse peeking round her bitty mama!" finally breaks down the lamb's fear of strangers, and together the two new friends gambolstill "right beside their mamas!" "What fun!" Thompson concludes. Yes, let the wild rumpus start. (Picture book. 3-5) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

PreS-Although a rabbit, a cricket, a robin, and an owl all encourage a shy baby lamb to interact and explore, he continues to hide behind his mother. At last, a tiny field mouse asks him to play and, surprisingly, he says yes. As they frolic in the grass, the lamb takes his first steps into the world. The soft acrylic and colored-pencil illustrations seem to pop off the page with many shades of spring green, blue, and lavender. Including large images of the animals, the pictures work with the brief text to create a great sense of immediacy. This gentle, reassuring tale tells youngsters that they can explore their world at their own speed. The eye-catching spreads and simple language make this book a natural for toddler storytime.-Linda Staskus, Parma Regional Library, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A shy lamb hides behind his mama when approached by some more-outgoing animals. He finally opens up after meeting a little mouse who, like him, enjoys the comfort of having her mother close by. Like the story, the illustrations are soothing: lush green meadow with blue and purple-pink sky serves as a backdrop to the wide-eyed animal portraits. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.