Oh, Baby!

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Big, beautiful photographs of infants and toddlers will make this picture book just about irresistible to youngsters, who will be fascinated by the many peppy images of their peers. Beginning with images of a baby ``just born yesterday,'' the narrative lists the newborn's innate abilities, details some of the work involved in caring for an infant and then describes the baby's gradual progression from reaching to crawling to walking. A matter-of-fact photograph shows an infant nursing at his mother's partially revealed breast. The photographs, each outlined in crayon, feature Asian, African American, white and Latino babies, both female and male. Such care seems to have been taken to round up a multicultural group of youngsters that it comes as a surprise to find that although the photos feature numerous shots of five different women, only a single spread is devoted to a man playing with a child. The volume's disappointing final photo of a toddler sitting at an easel and holding a palette is a saccharine choice for a book otherwise filled with playful, candid-seeming images. Ages 3-6 . (Oct.)

School Library Journal

PreS-Toddlers and preschoolers will be treated to a primer on infant development in this photo essay. Just one day old, an infant is shown as it coos, cries, sucks, and grasps. Full-color photographs, bordered by crayon lines, lay on the pages as if in a photo album. The clearly written text describes all of the babies' accomplishments as they develop and grow. Dads and moms cuddle, feed, bathe, and play with these charmers. African Americans, Asians, and Caucasians are all represented. A crayon border lines the bottom of each page, filled in with letters, numbers, toy shapes, or stars and planets. Tops in its class!-Jacqueline Elsner, Athens Regional Library, GA