See How I Grow

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

A precocious narrator chronicles her progress from infancy to 18 months of age in this expressive photo-essay. With typical DK verve, crystalline photographs are exuberant; however, the compositions are less animated than usual, and the text may strike some as occasionally precious (``I will eat just about anything as long as it tastes nice''). Also, the reader must be willing to accept the somewhat shopworn premise that the neonate narrator has the knowledge and verbal skills of an adult: ``I chatter all the time in my own baby talk.'' Small details add panache: photographic strips depicting progressive activities form horizontal borders; tiny objects at the corners of each spread relate to the activities portrayed. Appealing but slightly off the mark. Ages 2-6. (Apr.)

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1-Beginning at four days of age, the photogenic baby is shown at various stages of development; her ``thoughts'' and commentary are provided along the way. First smiles, rolling over, eating, sitting, crawling, talking, walking, and playing dress up are highlighted. Readers won't know that she's a girl until she's a year old, and she remains unnamed, while her brother Sam is introduced early on. The photography is beautifully done. Each spread generally features one or two large, full-color pictures of the child showing off a skill, bordered on top and bottom by a series of sequential shots of her in action. Her size is depicted by comparison to her basket of toys, which appears on every page. Text is brief, related in language that is more adult than childlike, but it works. This is more appealing than George Ancona's It's a Baby! (Dutton, 1979; o.p.) and will be ideal for parents, grandparents, or teachers to share with soon-to-be first-time siblings, complementing the many books that are written from the older child's point of view.-Denise L. Moll, Lone Pine Elementary School, West Bloomfield, MI

Mary Harris Veeder

"A photographic record of a baby's first eighteen months," this text is directed toward the sibling audience, which can follow and forecast the stages from newborn bundle to walking, standing, and dressed-up little sister. The baby, photographed against a white background and shown in a variety of developmentally appropriate activities, is an extremely clean, charmingly garbed addition to any household. While not introducing all aspects of infancy, the book does aptly convey the notion of developmental stages and may help brothers and sisters feel more welcoming.