Julius, Baby of the World (by Kevin Henkes)

Children will feel reassured by the parents' constant love for both Lilly and Julius and reassured that they are not the only ones who have felt jealous toward a sibling. Lilly is always recognizable in her red cowboy boots with a big white star on each side and a gold paper crown signifying that she is the queen. Watercolor-and-ink illustrations capture Lilly's exasperation and frustration, and the parents' gentle love.

Illustrations are enclosed in a frame surrounded by the white paper, and floating dialogue boxes in some illustrations extend the story. On one page, Lilly's parents lean over Julius' crib and recite the numbers and the alphabet in a dialogue box within the illustration. The second illustration on the page shows Lilly, alone with Julius, reciting, "3, 8, 1, 5, 9, 6 ..." and "A, J, K, Z, B, S, C, H ...," actions sure to bring a giggle from the readers.