Out in his backyard, Spencer can be a lot of things: tall as a giraffe (with help from a ladder) or loud as an elephant (provided he has two metal trash cans to bang). Strong, fast, messy, wild-Spencer has those qualities and more within him. But the big question is, can Spencer be gentle when Mom and Dad bring home a new sibling? This is more of an extended rhetorical question than a story; it recognizes-celebrates, really-kids' more rambunctious, free-spirited tendencies, while demonstrating that those same attributes aren't mutually exclusive from tenderness, when it's called for. Schaefer (Just One Bite) wisely invites audience participation by never identifying the animals that complete Spencer's many similes, letting images of the creatures provide the answers, rebus-style. Meserve's (Can Anybody Hear Me?) bold digital drawings are a big plus: she gives Spencer an energetic, devil-may-care intensity that will feel instantly familiar to both kids and parents, and Spencer's expansive, slightly wild backyard, with its climbing trees, meadow, and mud hole, will be the envy of all ages. Ages 2-5. Agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Spencer is a boy. Each of his boy-typical characteristics strong, fast, tall, loud, wild, messy are accompanied by a metaphor comparing him to an animal that is pictured but not stated: he's as strong as a bear slurping honey from a beehive; as fast as a horse galloping off the page; and as tall as a giraffe towering next to a tree. On one special day, though, Spencer is quiet and gentle as he becomes a big brother. As his father cradles the bundle of baby, Spencer sits in angelic repose ready to take on his new big-brother responsibility. The engaging visual cues of Meserve's vibrant and energetic artwork and the story's dynamic pacing turn what could have been just another new-sibling book into something much more. In an oh-so-subtle fashion, Schaefer challenges stereotypical gender roles in this insightful picture book.--Austin, Patricia Copyright 2010 Booklist

Pres-Gr 1-Young Spencer is strong as a bear, fast as a horse, tall as a giraffe, and loud as an elephant. But on one special day, he becomes something he has never been before: a brother. With a simple interactive text and thoroughly engaging illustrations, this book is a perfect blending of words and pictures. Beginning with an image of the child standing beside his grandmother as a car pulls away, digitally rendered oil pastels in bold spring colors depict a dark-haired tyke reminiscent of Maurice Sendak's Johnny. Spencer awaits his parents' return by happily running, jumping, and climbing a large apple tree in his grandmother's yard while large animals appear to define his talents. Short beginning sentences require a turn of the page and a fill-in-the-name-of-the-illustrated-animal for completion ("He was funny-funny as a [monkey]."). Large spreads have a sunny quality and are filled with creatures large and small. When his parents finally return, Spencer becomes "gentle," sitting with a pillow in his lap as his father hands him the baby. The final images of this loving family will melt readers' hearts. A special book for the special day.-Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Rambunctious young Spencer is wild as a tiger and loud as an elephant, but on the day his new baby sibling arrives, he's also quiet and gentle. In this satisfying introduction to becoming a big brother or sister, bold, energetic illustrations invite readers to complete the many similes describing Spencer. For example, a horse gallops across the page under the words "fast as a..." (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Every mother of two remembers the moment she viewed her firstborn as a threat: couldn't this unpredictable elder child accidentally topple, drop or otherwise maim the newest addition to the family? Especially if he's like Spencer, an exuberant boy who gambols among an imagined menagerie in his expansive backyard jungle. Schaefer offers a fresh take on the "getting a new sibling" book, which doesn't introduce the enemy until the last pages. But those final spreads are so tenderly wrought they will bring tears to any hormonally challenged mother's eyes. Young readers still may not want Spencer's baby sibling, but they will definitely want his backyard. CHLOE Written and illustrated by Peter McCarty. 40 pp. Balzar & Bray/HarperCollins Publishers. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 2 to 6) Drawn in delicate pen-and-ink and watercolors, McCarty's impeccably cute creatures seem to hover magically in midair, like little balloons in some fantastical, vaguely Japanese idyll. In this story, middle-bunny Chloe (making a return appearance after "Henry in Love") is one of 21 sisters and brothers. And she loves it But one day, her father brings home an intruder: a brand-new television. Chloe doesn't love it. After this ode to imaginative piay among siblings, we can understand why Henry fell so deeply in love. CHLOE, INSTEAD Written and illustrated by Micah Player. 32pp. Chronicle Books. $15.99. (Picture book; ages 3 to 6) Chloe again! (To be expected - it's currently on the top 10 baby-name list) But here the Chloe is unwanted. Molly "was hoping for a little sister who was just like me." She got Chloe instead. Molly colors with crayons. Chloe eats them. Molly reads books. Chloe tears them up. This is an all too familiar tale. But Player's retro-modern illustrations, with their pop-art palette (he worked for Paul Frank industries as a designer), put this tale of sisterly rivalry an aesthetic notch above the rest The final image of the two sisters snuggling is pure parental delight. TALLULAH'S SOLO By Marilyn Singer. Illustrated by Alexander Böiger. 40 pp. Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) Ballet book series generally introduce a boy to the corps by Volume 2 or 3, and a ruckus of some sort generally ensues. In this charming follow-up to 2011's "Tallulah's Tutu" the new boy happens to be a little brother. In a sweet twist, Tallulah is initially proud of Beckett. But when he spends class time sliding around in his ballet slippers and picking his nose, she is less than pleased. The competition between perfectionist big sister and rambunctious little brother will ring true to all readers familiar with the types. Both kids learn a lesson. MOOSHKA A Quilt Story. Written and illustrated by Julie Paschkis. 32pp. Peachtree. $16.95. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) Mothers who quilt (they suddenly seem as common as mothers who blog) will adore this gorgeously illustrated story about Karla, a girl whose grandmother teaches her to appreciate quilting. Karla's homemade quilt, "Mooshka," helps her sleep at night, "telling" her stories about the various squares in her fabric. When Hannah and her crib move into the bedroom, Karla's initial reaction is: "Unfair. Stinky. My room." But Karla soon learns that Mooshka can comfort Hannah too. If only aU quilts stopped babies from crying. PAMELA PAUL ONLINE A slide show of this week's illustrated books at nytimes.com/books.