Judith L Roth

Using kindness, soft blankets, and chocolate milk, a brave child tames ferocious dragons and settles them in a clover field for a nap.

The sounds of lapping water and dipping oars ease readers into the famous canals of Venice, Italy. With mother as gondolier and father singing his calming song to baby, a family floats serenely through this one-of-a-kind historic city, past features as unusual as stone winged lions and golden masks and as comfortably familiar as babbling neighbors and drying laundry. The baby drifts deeper and deeper into Venice's maze and--finally--sweet sleep.

"Cadence is a very busy little mermaid . . . but something is missing. She really wants a kitten! When she discovers a family of felines onshore, Cadence can't believe her luck. But, as the mermaid tries to play with one of the kittens, she soon discovers that cats do not like water and are very pointy in all the wrong places. . . . With her kitten dreams dashed, Cadence couldn't be sadder. Is there a pet out there that can love her and the sea?...