I Used to Be the Baby
"I used to be the baby, but now I am big. I have a baby brother, and I help Mommy take care of him," begins Ballard's (My Day, Your Day) reassuring tale of brotherly love. The big brother narrator alternates between observations of various situations ("He always wants to take my toys") and proposed solutions ("I will give him some of his"). One spread, for example, presents a small framed vignette of the baby trying to chew the pages of a book ("He tries to eat my books"). Immediately to the right, a full-bleed pen-and-ink and watercolor illustration that takes up two-thirds of the spread shows big brother and baby sharing board books while their mother, in the background, shuffles by with the laundry ("He can have his own books, and I will read to him"). The format repeats throughout until the baby is tucked into his crib at night. In a comforting conclusion, the final illustration shows the narrator enjoying some alone time with his mom: "I am the big brother. But sometimes I like to be the baby too." Ages 3-up.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.