"Baby loves Mommy and Daddy more than anything in the world," begins this lively picture book for toddlers. Before you get too sentimental, however, you must know that the very next line is "Except... breakfast." In a story that strings along exception after exception, Michael Lawrence and illustrator Adrian Reynolds demonstrate just how capacious--and capricious--the love of a baby can be. Baby loves breakfast, Teddy, Kitty, slippers, flowers, Granny, and more, with equal exuberance. As it turns out, however, Mommy and Daddy love Baby more than anything in the world, no exceptions. Reynolds's vivacious illustrations exude humor and life, and also serve to keep this happy bedtime story out of the realm of the sentimental. Toddlers will giggle at the slapstick antics of the mischievous baby, and snuggle into the sweet assurance of parental love at the end. (Baby to preschool)