From wriggling chicks to jumpy kangaroos, this hilarious rhyming picture book showcases different kinds of babies, all of which are perfectly, adorably beastly! Making mischief, having fun each is precious, every one. In a knoll, a hole, or nest, Mamas love their babies best. In this delightful rhyming read-aloud, author Ellen Jackson and illustrator Brendan Wenzel introduce readers to all sorts of mischievous baby animals—and the grown-ups who love them no matter what. Featuring puppies that slobber, kittens who spill, and young gorillas who won't sit still, this book is sure to resonate with beastly babies of all ages—and their exasperated moms and dads, too! PreS-Gr 2—All kinds of babies appear in this cheerful tribute to mothers and their children. From a human infant to a newborn sloth, all of the babies have one thing in common; they are loved unconditionally by their mothers. Told in rhyming verse, the story showcases sea creatures, barnyard animals, African fauna, and household pets. All of the beastly babies are "Making mischief/having fun,/each is precious/every one." Tipping her hat to the circle of life, Jackson ends the narrative by observing that when the little ones grow up, they will be blessed with "beastly babies of their own." Drawn with bold lines and bright colors, the mixed-media illustrations add a sense of wonder to the story. The wide-eyed animals cavort, splash, and charge across the pages in a swirl of joyous activity. Share with fans of Marion Dane Bauer's My Mother Is Mine (S. & S., 2009), which is told from the youngster's point of view. VERDICT Young animal lovers will laugh out loud at the high-spirited antics of these beastly babies.—Linda L. Walkins, Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, Boston, MA A simple rhyming text celebrates some shared characteristics of baby animals. Jackson catalogs a variety of animal offspring ("Babies can be smooth or hairy, / quail or whale or dromedary") and their behaviors: "Tiger babies pounce and fail / when they aim for mama's tail"; "Baby buffalo get grumpy. / Baby kangaroos get jumpy." The rhymes have a brisk quality that will keep the pages turning. Wenzel's bright illustrations, "rendered in almost everything imaginable," will grab the attention of small listeners. The wild profusion of young creatures, leaping, tumbling, and running as animal parents hover and peer from foliage nearby, is hilarious. All have round eyes and a kind of manic look, on the stern side for the parents (perfect in the cranky protectiveness of the mama tiger) but ready to go and full of spark for the babies....The unspoken reassurance—all babies are loved—is there, along with the important affirmation that growing up is both a little bit messy and a little bit chaotic. Toddlers may especially relish their status as creatures slightly older than babies while enjoying the affectionate tone of the text and art. Lots of fun. -- Kirkus Reviews ― May 1, 2015 If there’s one thing that parents know, it’s that babies, as much as we may love them, are exhausting. And as this book shows, that’s true in the animals kingdom as well. This wonderfully tongue-in-cheek offering takes readers through some of those babies’ more, well, beastly aspects: they’re loud, they’re messy, and they never stop moving! This amusing readaloud is made more enjoyable by carefully crafted rhymes that delight both in their simplicity (“Puppies slobber / kittens spill / young gorillas can’t sit still”) and their cleverness (“Babies can be smooth or hairy, /quail or whale or dromedary”). The madcap, colorful illustrations are a joy: multimedia animals layer brightly over a white background, and, comically, the animals are all given particularly expressive eyeballs. Children of the human variety will be engaged by mischievous antics of their animal counterparts while parents will find kindred spirits in the depictions of exhausted, exasperated animal parents. Marvelously executed and affectionately crafted, this is a standout in the mothers-and-children canon that promises, like its subjects, to age well. -- Booklist, *STARRED REVIEW ― June 1, 2015 All kinds of babies appear in this cheerful tribute to mothers and their children. From a human infant to a newborn sloth, all of the babies have one thing in common; they are loved unconditionally by their mothers. Told in rhyming verse, the story showcases sea creatures, barnyard animals, African fauna, and household pets. All of the beastly babies are “Making mischief/having fun,/each is precious/every one.” Tipping her hat to the circle of life, Jackson ends the narrative by observing that when the little ones grow up, they will be blessed with “beastly babies of their own.” Drawn with bold lines and bright colors, the mixed-media illustrations add a sense of wonder to the story. The wide-eyed animals cavort, splash, and charge across the pages in a swirl of joyous activity. Share with fans of Marion Dane Bauer’s My Mother Is