The Little Stranger: Splat and the New Baby by Rob Scotton

Splat's eyes opened and his mouth fell open when his mother told him the news.

"Soon, Splat, there's going to be a new baby in the house."

What? Splat is flummoxed. He's always thought it would be fun to be a big brother. But this is so sudden!

Splat knows that there is going to be a lot to do, so he pitches in. He and Dad do up the spare room as a nursery with cutesy wallpaper and a mobile and bring up Splat's old crib from the basement. The two congratulate each other on their work. But before Splat can ask any questions, Mom appears at the front door with a baby in a carrier.

Splat can't wait to see the baby. He takes the shortcut, sliding down the banister. But....

"YIKES!"

Splat can't believe his eyes. The baby is... a...

CROCODILE! "How did this happen? He'll eat us up!"

Splat zips back up the stairs and hides under his bed. But Mom and Dad assure Splat that little Urgle doesn't eat cats, and that he'll only be there a few days while his mother is away on a trip. And anyway, this will be Splat's chance to try out some big brother skills. And once Splat gets the hang of it, he's soon helping out with Urgle's bath and lunch, and (GULP!) assisting with a diaper change--for which Splat dons his handy yellow hazmat suit.

Soon he's in the swing of things, having fun with little Urgle.

And when Urgle's mother comes to take him back home, Splat is sad and wonders when he'll ever get a chance to play big brother again. But with a smile and a wink, Mom says something intriguing....

"One day soon... very soon!"

There's a hint of big changes ahead in Rob Scotton's newest picture book, Splat the Cat: Splat and the New Baby (Harper, 2018). In this happy and heartwarming family life story, Scotton's always nervous preschooler gets a little preview of coming attractions in this long-running and successful series. As always, Splat's facial expressions and nervous tail telegram his anxiety as he encounters a new situation, while his parents help him succeed and gain competence and confidence in his new setting, and Scotton's charming illustrations tell the story well, with both humor and good will.

Gently into A Very Good Night!: It's Not Time for Sleeping by Lisa Graff

When I've munched and crunched my last three carrots (except for the one I fed to Jasper), Mom takes my plate.

It's been a good day," she says.

"It is a good day," I tell her.

Because the day's not finished yet.

And it is not time for sleeping.

As a rosy sunset lights the kitchen window, a boy helps his dad with the dishes, reminding him that it is not quite dark yet.

Bathtime fun follows, with the boy splashing his dog just a little and admiring his wrinkly toes as Mom zips his footy dinosaur jammies up. He gives Jasper the dog a playful dino ROAR! Dad remarks that he looks very cozy.

"Not too cozy," I tell him.

As Dad holds him up by his ankles as to brush his teeth upside down, he points out the boy's sleepy yawn. The boy insists that he's not tired.

It is not time for sleeping.

It is time for a last fluffy belly-rubbing tussle with Jasper. It is time for Mom to tuck him in. It is time for Dad to sit back in the bedroom rocker and share a really good bedtime story as the boy snuggled warmly under his blanket.

"That was a nice one," Dad says. as Mom turns off the lights.

But it is not yet time for sleeping. There is one more thing Mom and Dad must not forget. And they don't.

It's all in good time, in Lisa Graff's lovely It Is Not Time for Sleeping (Houghton Mifflin Clarion, 2016), celebrating a bedtime with no tears, tantrums, or nighttime naughtiness, as the gentle ritual of sleepy time ends a good day with a very good night. Not all bedtimes go so sweetly, we know, but Graff's well-paced story shows that sometimes a child's bedtime dallying is an understandable delay in letting go of a good day.

Lauren Castillo's artwork is equally touching, simple and strong blackline drawings in a setting which, like the hour, changes gradually from warm light to comforting shadows in the boy's room where blue wallpaper with stars and moons light the way to sleep. A full moon shining through the boy's round window brings the story round full circle, in a charming and tender look at how to say goodnight.

No Place Like... The House That's Your Home by Sally Lloyd-Jones

THE GIRL IS A DAUGHTER AND THE BOY IS A SON. 

AND YOU ARE A FAMILY IN THE HOUSE THAT IS YOUR HOME.

What makes a house a home? Noted author Sally Lloyd Jones lists all the things that make a home for a small child--a mommy and a daddy, pets, both dog and cat, books and toys in the children's rooms, and outdoor toys and  grassy yard in which to play ball with their puppy, ride their bikes, join with their friends to play, and a garden where the girl, bedecked in gardening boots and apron, plants flowers in front of their cozy cottage.

ALL THE DAYS OF YOUR LIFE
IN THE AIR YOU BREATHE
IN A PLACE OF YOUR OWN, IN THE WORLD
THAT IS YOUR HOME.

In Sally Lloyd-Jones' latest, The House That's Your Home (Schwartz and Wade, 2015) it is an idyllic home, portrayed in the author's gently paced, repetitive text and artist Jane Dyer's lovely, slightly retro-styled illustrations. Not all children, of course, live in a such a child-centered, picturesque craftsman cottage, with potted geraniums decorating the wide front porch. With its privileged setting, this book does not show that the house that is a home can look quite different for different families, but the author does emphasize that what makes a house a home is the family that lives inside.