How to Be a Baby: By Me, the Big Sister (Hardcover)

Between the title, which perfectly sums up the tone and content of the
book, and the foregoing sentence, there's really nothing else you need to
know. If I were you, I'd jot down the title so you can check it out later,
skip the rest of this review and get on with the book section and/or your
day.

If, however, you insist on reading on -- which I assure you will involve
more or less a reiteration of the above but with a few additional 25-cent
adjectives -- then here you go.

Sally Lloyd-Jones and Sue Heap created this book in such a way that it
feels as though the concept, story and approach were all ripe and whole
somewhere in idea space, just waiting to be plucked, and they were the ones
who grabbed it.

The story begins with the infinitely wise guru of an older sister
announcing, "When you're a baby, you are in a crib and not in school." This
wonderfully abrupt and confident opening sets the stage perfectly: big
sister knows everything in the universe, big sister is doing new baby/us an
incredible favor by imparting all this wisdom, and new baby is (at least
for now) not so much a person as he is an audience.

The how-to manual covers a wide range of topics including "real clothes"
versus pajamas, reading, food, fears, baths, manners, friends and sleep, to
name a few. Talking: "You talk, but no one knows what you're saying,
because you just make it all up." Singing: "You don't know the words. Or
the tune. (I know the words and the tune AND THE DANCE.)" Car seats: "You
don't even face the right way. (I prefer to sit in a seat like a normal
person.)"

There are supplementary "what else" lists throughout the book, like "Here's
What Else You Can't Do" and "Here's What Toys You Don't Have and You're Not
Allowed to Play With." One of the last such lists -- "Here's What Else
Babies Are Good At -- cues the book's emotional shift, and the final eight
pages celebrate siblinghood while still keeping it real (i.e., maybe you're
not so bad after all, and I wish you well as long as you don't surpass
me).

Sue Heap's illustrations complement the text in just the right way, and I
can't imagine it looking any other way.

In other words, this book is adorable, original, well-illustrated and
fabulous. --Amy Krouse Rosenthal

From Booklist
*Starred Review* There are lots of books about kids and the babies
they must endure, teach, and love, but few get the interaction down as
perfectly as this marvelous melding of knowing observations and funny,
sunny, on-the-money art. The narrator, a little blonde girl, has a long
list of things that babies can't do. Go to school? No--stuck in a crib. Eat
normal food? No--yucky baby food. Thinking of things that are inappropriate
for babies reminds the girl of the many ways in which she's superior:
babies don't have any real friends, but she has lots. The tall format
offers plenty of room for the sweet, saucy, child-appealing watercolors,
some looking as though they were created by the child herself; certainly
the lines and squiggles on a few of the pages enhance that feel. Lists also
cleverly adorn many of the pages, with headings such as "Things Babies Do
That Are Illegal" (poop on the carpet). But in a heartwarming ending,
Sister lists things that are nice about being a baby (people don't tell you
to stop being a baby because you are one) and envisions the happy day when
her brother gets big enough to follow her around, learn from her, and play
with her friends (sometimes). With lots to look at, think about, and giggle
at, this book will get many readings. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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