Baby Day

November 15, 2018
It's a first birthday celebration for baby, and lots of baby friends join in the festivities.The book opens on baby waiting expectantly to be lifted from the crib and progresses through all of the birthday fun, showing friends arriving, cake, and ice cream before closing with bathtime, snuggles, and sleep. Godwin and Bell's text focuses on the birthday baby and friends, and the story is told almost entirely through descriptions of the babies and Blackwood's illustrations of them. "Lazy baby" describes a sleeping friend, "brave baby" goes down the slide head first, and "sad baby" has just lost dessert to the dog. No pronouns are ever used to describe the babies, and while some wear dresses or tutus, there is no specific gender attached to any particular illustration--a nice touch, whether intentional or not. Some tots are browner than others (the protagonist presents white), and a pair of twins are cued as black via their hairstyles. Blackwood's illustrations nevertheless are lovely, with her customary delicately energetic line and a palette of mostly primary red, yellow, and blue. Adult readers will appreciate the two-page spread that so accurately depicts what it's like trying to take a photo of a group of wiggly little ones. Overall, this is a nice approach to the classic first-birthday book, offering a sense of play and nuance in both the brief text and the lovely illustrations.A refreshing first-birthday book, with subtleties for adult readers and details for little ones. (Picture book. 2-5)

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

February 1, 2019

Baby-Toddler-A baby's first birthday party sets the stage for introducing the many emotions children express through their faces and body language as they gather to celebrate. Rendered in watercolor, the soft lines are an excellent pairing with the deceptively simple and repetitive text. None of the tykes are named, but are simply all referred to as "baby." For example, one spread shows a "fussy baby" tilting her head away from proffered food from another child with the comment "Come on, baby, just try it" while a dog swipes potato chips off the table. Later on, when a line of children are eating ice cream cones and one scoop falls, this same dog gobbles it up, leading to a spread of "poor baby!" as the youngster cries. Although the text is spare, it beautifully carries the story of a baby's first birthday while also expressing the varied feelings and reactions children are likely to experience. VERDICT A clear winner for toddlers and their parents, this is also a lovely addition for read-alouds. Highly recommended.-Rachel Zuffa, Case High School, Racine, WI

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2019
Preschool A happy baby wakes up on his or her first birthday. Later, many babies, children, and parents (to say nothing of the dog) gather for an outdoor celebration featuring playtime, ice cream, and birthday cake. The text briefly describes the babies based on their actions at the moment, such as Bossy baby, Friendly baby, Neat baby, and Busy baby. And that works just fine because, for other young children, the babies' and toddlers' actions and interactions will be the most riveting part of this cheerful picture book. The babies crawl, climb, and devour ice cream cones (sometimes with help from the dog). After cake is served, the tone shifts to Wriggly baby. Cranky baby. Tired baby. Created with shaded pencil drawings, watercolors, and digital elements, the artwork perfectly captures the mood of the day as it shifts from happy anticipation and engagement to a fractious mood, reflected in the characters' expressions and body language. With a diverse cast of endearing babies and their parents, this Australian picture book will have broad appeal among young children.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)