Bittle by Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan

Illustrated by Dan Yaccarino. 32 p., HarperCollins/Cotler, 2004. Having a new baby may be easier for some children to accept if they hear it from a pet's perspective. In this story, Nigel the cat and Julia the dog have a happy life until their humans start preparing for a baby's arrival. When they realize that a baby's coming, and even when she's first born, they're apprehensive. But they find that they can make the baby, whom they call Bittle, happy when no one else can. When Bittle cries in her crib, Nigel jumps in and curls up with her, and she stops crying. The pets play with the baby at night, and bring back the toys that she throws out of her crib. As Bittle gets older, Julia and Nigel discover that they have interests in common with her. And when Bittle starts to talk, she doesn't say "mama" or "papa" - she says "woof" and "meow." With its energetic, colorful illustrations, this story shows children that even if having a new baby doesn't sound great, they can find ways to connect happily with their younger sibling. Ages 3-6