A frazzled Mama Bear with a long to-do list learns to stop and smell the flowers.No matter how long Mama's list is, Bella Bear does not share her agenda. A typical toddler, Bella wants to play (preferably with Mama) and to do things herself: She wants what she wants. There's no mischief to Bella, but even so, every rushed caregiver will empathize with Mama Bear's mounting frustration, signaled in Bright's illustrations by the prominent red wristwatch she points to, her upraised eyebrows, and her up-flung arms. But Bella's expression when Mama's temper finally erupts over the traffic lights gives Mama pause. "Mama has a change of heart. / She wants to go a different way. / ‘New plans for us, my Bella Bear… // We're going to the park today!' " And just like that, list forgotten, the two spend the day enjoying each other's company. And when it's time to leave, their roles are humorously reversed. Bright's anthropomorphized bears are pudgy and scribbly-furred, and they have large, round front paws. Bella is a lighter shade of brown than Mama and wears clothing; outside the house, Mama sports only a scarf. A family portrait shows only the duo.A solid message to caregivers about the value of unstructured time with their children; child readers may hope for similar results with their own grown-ups. (Picture book. 3-6)

Mama Bear is short on time and has a long to-do list, but all her daughter Bella wants to do is dawdle-even on the potty, Bella will not be rushed. By the time they-re finally in the car, Mama Bear-s patience is gone, and she-s turned into a shouting, honking driver. Then she notices that her daughter is genuinely alarmed: strapped into her car seat, her averted eyes as big as saucers, the slowpoke who was so frustrating suddenly seems small and vulnerable. Mama chucks the list (-This doesn-t have to be a race-) and heads to the park: -No classes, errands, rush, or fuss./ Slides and swings and snacks,/... all day-just the two of us!-- Bright handles the very real issue of the overscheduled family with good humor and sympathetic characters, drawn in her signature scraggly style, which is as expressive of harried domestic life as the text itself. She also ends with a satisfying role reversal-after Mama hops on the bandwagon, it-s little Bella who tells Mama it-s time to go home. Ages 2-7. (Feb.)