Time

Publishers Weekly

A new addition to the My First Board Book series, My First Time Board Book opens with a full-spread photograph of a field of sunflowers (labeled "day"), followed by a spread of "daytime animals"; next, a crescent moon for "night" ushers in a half dozen "nighttime animals." Daily rituals more familiar to children follow (bathtime, bedtime, etc.), along with the concept of a week, a month, seasons and important annual events, such as birthdays. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

Every aspect of time is explored in this board book, beginning with simple concepts and building to the more complex. The first section covers day and night. Stunning sunflowers and an elegant nightscape are splashed across the full-color photographs. A page turn reveals the animals associated with day and night. The UK influence shows with a picture of a bush baby, which may confuse American preschoolers. The next section covers daily routines such as getting up, mealtime, bath time, and bedtime. "Getting up" is illustrated with a toddler sitting among a hairbrush, toothpaste, a striped T-shirt, and jaunty red cap. Events relating to day, week, month, and year, including annual celebrations, precede the section on the four seasons. The final section, "Growing up," shows the life spans of a chick and a human. Though the photographs are clear, it is still a leap for a young child to grasp the fact that the baby becomes an old woman in just four panels. A valuable book for older children, but is too busy and too complicated for the usual board book set. The age range is not stated on the book cover. 2003, DK Publishing, Ages 4 to 8.
— Candice Ransom