Baby's First Year - Hardcover

Rick Walton (rickwalton.com) is the author of over sixty books for children.  Caroline Jayne Church (carolinejaynechurch.com) has both written and illustrated numerous books for children.

In this simply illustrated picture book, an older brother observes several firsts during his younger siblings first year: Babys first day, first kiss, first smile, first crawl, first tooth. Each one is introduced with a rhyme left hanging with a pause (sometimes incorporating a page turn), leaving space for the child to guess the babys accomplishment before it is revealed: On hands and knees, / see Baby try / to grab the toy as it rolls by. / Scurrying, hurrying / after the ball. / Its our fast Babys very first . . . CRAWL! Though verbal clues are not always obvious enough for young children, the illustrations often supply the answers visually. Using ink and cut-paper collage, Church creates a series of endearing illustrations that reflect the playful tone of the text. An alternative to new baby books focused on sibling rivalry, this book offers a positive view of a babys first year. Preschool. --Carolyn Phelan