How to Be a Baby . . . by Me, the Big Sister (How To Series)
Kindergarten-Grade 3—"When you're a baby, you are in a crib and not in school," according to a worldly wise big sister, who reads from a book she has written for her new sibling. She itemizes a long list of things that babies cannot do, including play with her toys, sit in a car "like a normal person," or "have ANY pillows on your bed." Although she tends to focus on the negatives, in the end the unnamed protagonist admits that babies have some uses. She tells her brother that babies are "good at hugging" and "people smile at you because you're so small." She also describes what life will be like when he gets bigger, looking forward to the day when they will "laugh and point at pictures of you in the olden days when you were a baby." The comical cartoons subtly convey the love that the rosy-cheeked girl feels for her round, placid sibling despite his limited abilities. The text and illustrations are scattered across each page in varying patterns. Heap uses acrylic paint, crayon, and felt-tip pen in a pleasing palette of pinks, blues, and yellows to enhance the story with childlike charm. This amusing title could be paired with Amy Schwartz's humorousAnnabelle Swift, Kindergartner(Scholastic, 1991). For a more poignant look at sibling relationships, young readers might prefer Shirley Hughes'sAnnie Rose Is My Little Sister(Candlewick, 2003).—Linda L. Walkins, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Brighton, MACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.