School-aged Billy must take his preschool-aged sister Belle to class with him while Dad takes Mum to the hospital for the birth of a new baby. It's an exciting and extraordinary day for both of them -- not just because they're getting a new brother or sister but because it's pet day at school. Even with just a last minute notice, Belle manages to muster up a pet of her own to take to school: a spider! The full-color illustrations set in a comic-strip format are filled with amusing details of a bustling home life and a refreshingly disorderly school. Billy and Belle (and baby Adam) are biracial: their mother is white and their dad is Black. (Ages 3-6)

In quasi-comic-book format complete with dialogue in balloons, Billy and Belle is a gently humorous story featuring a modern mixed-race family on an important day. Little Billy and Belle can't wait for Mom to have her baby: Belle already knows how to give a newborn a bottle, and Billy's set to share his pet hamster with a new brother or sister. When Mom goes to the hospital, the kids go off to school for Pet Day (hamster and pet spider in tow) and a little unlooked-for excitement, as all the pets get loose. The family's love and community's support are charmingly portrayed in Sarah Garland's colorful artwork.