COME BACK, HANNAH!

Though crawlers themselves may be a bit young for this, parents, caregivers, and siblings will appreciate the little perpetual motion machine called Hannah. "Hannah likes to crawl," it begins. Of course, before you know it, there goes Hannah up the stairs. "Come back, Hannah!" yelps her mom. And since mom isn't being much fun this morning, with her letter-writing, and exercising, and phoning, Hannah keeps crawling off in search of diversions. Each time her mother catches her and says a variation on "You are faster than a crab on the beach," like "a mouse in the field," or "a lizard on a tree." Finally her mother's tasks are done and the book shifts into lullaby mode, where they sit and read a book and get ready for a nap. The straight, declarative, and repetitious text is enlivened by artwork with colors that look like they could be spread as frosting on a cake, all wrapped in a home environment that looks particularly snug. Pair this with the author's The Line Up Book (1986) for a matched set. (Picture book. 2-5)