Your Own Big Bed
PreS—Most books about a child's first bed focus on a youngster's resistance to change or a new baby that needs the crib. Bergstein's book takes a natural approach by comparing a boy's growth to how different animals mature. In simple terms, each sequence describes how three animals are born, carried by their parents, take their first steps, and sleep in their own cozy small places and shows how a child parallels the experience. As the animals get bigger, each one graduates to a larger sleeping area, just as the boy is now able to do. The absence of the anxiety, whining, or excuses common to books of this ilk is refreshing. Rather, moving to a big bed is simply explained as the next step in the process of growing up. Soft pictures of birds, a sea turtle, a kangaroo, a koala bear, a dog, and a horse precede pictures of the youngster and his parents. The final spread, bathed in shades of blue, features several of the creatures asleep in their resting places as the boy and his teddy bear, shown through a window, are safe in their own bed. This sweet book provides a gentle, matter-of-fact introduction to a sometimes-difficult transition, and should be a first purchase for most picture-book collections.—Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CTCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.