Can you sing all the verses of The Teddy Bear's' Picnic? If not, do yourself and your child a favor and buy The Teddy Bear's Picnic, a hardcover book illustrated by Bruce Whatley with a cassette arranged and performed by Jerry Garcia and David Grisman. Need we say more? (ages 3-8, set, $14.95)

Anyone who has ever bathed a reluctant child will appreciate Andrew's Bath by David McPhail. Tired of struggling every evening at bathtime, Andrew's parents decide that he is old enough to bathe himself. Chaos reigns as a frog splashes water on the floor, a hippo sits on the soap, an elephant drinks the shampoo, and an alligator plays tug 'o war with the washcloth. Bathtime was never so much fun! (ages 3-7, pb, $4.95)

Consummate storyteller Bill Martin Jr has created a wonderful read-aloud in Old Devil Wind. Kids will be echoing the repetitive lines and thrilling to the just-scary-enough illustrations by Barry Root. A fine paperback choice for year-round reading, a special treat at Halloween. (ages 3-8, pb, $5.00)

Toddlers will love to spot the different colors of the train's cars as it chugs along the pages of Freight Train. Donald Crews presents clean and simple illustrations just right for sharing during laptime. (ages 1 and up, bd, $6.95)

David Pelham's pop-up magic is perfectly paired with creatures of every kind in crawlies creep. "Penguins flap, crocodiles snap, ducks dip, crabs nip" and every one pops up and out for colorful, fanciful fun. Be ready to giggle together as you enjoy crawlies creep with your child. (ages 2-5, hc, $9.99)

Tedd Arnold's four Bialosky Bear board books fit perfectly into Bialosky's Bedside Books, a "night table library for when you're tucked in and cozy." Bialosky's Bumblebees for counting, House for colors, Bedtime for opposites, and Big Mess for the alphabet cover all toddler concepts nicely. A sweet, snuggle-and-read set specially designed for bedtime. (ages 6 months - 3 years, bd, $10.95)

Long loved by children, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? comes at last in a sturdy board book format. Bill Martin Jr is a storyteller supreme, a lover of words and their sounds, and a master of verse for children. Brown Bear sprang to life when Bill approached Eric Carle and asked him to consider illustrating his short poem, originally written for a textbook anthology. The rest, as they say, is history. Selling more than 2.5 million copies, Brown Bear is a childhood classic. (ages 2-5, bd, $6.95)

We welcome Molly Bang's wonderful backward-counting bedtime book Ten, Nine, Eight in a board book format. A sleepy little one begins by counting "ten small toes all washed and warm" and ends with "one big girl all ready for bed." In between there are lots of hugs, cuddles, and kisses from her Daddy. Lots of warmth and love fill this small book. (ages 1 and up, bd, $6.95)

"Have You Seen My Duckling?", asks Mother Duck of the beaver, the turtle, the fish. One adventurous child off to catch a passing butterfly is actually hiding just out of Mother's sight as she searches the entire pond. Young children will delight in finding the wayward duck child, and sigh with satisfaction when he rejoins the family and settles down in the nest to sleep. Nancy Tafuri's lovely picture book is just right as a board book for tiny hands to hold. (ages 1 and up, bd, $6.95)

   
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