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Plants possess a unique class of CDKs (B-type CDKs) that is assumed to regulate plant-specific cell cycle events. On pages 945-955, Boudolf et al. report that one member of this gene family, CDKB1;1, is highly expressed in guard cells and stomatal precursor cells, suggesting a prominent role for B1-type CDKs in stomatal development. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants with reduced B1-type CDK activity displayed a decreased stomatal index and aberrant stomatal cells because of an early block in meristemoid division and inhibition of satellite meristemoid formation. The cover shows a scanning electron micrograph of an aberrant stomatal cell on the surface of a transgenic Arabidopsis cotyledon. Although division of stomatal precursors was inhibited, cells still acquired stomatal identity, illustrating that stomatal cell differentiation is independent of cellular and nuclear division.