How to Be a Baby. . . by Me, the Big Sister (review)

In this entertaining tale, a six-year-old big sister records her observations of what exactly it means to be a baby, from being in a crib and wearing pajamas to not having hair and not eating normal food. It won't take the listener long to realize that this is really an extended tribute to all the amazing and wonderful things a six-year-old can do, like face the right way in the car, eat chocolate ice cream, use scissors, and do arithmetic. The child perspective is spot on; it is clear that the baby is missing out on all the wonderful things in life that are at the center of the six-year-old world. What is most successful about the story is the original take on sibling relations; it doesn't overtly address resentment or jealousy or adjustment issues (though this will be a great salve for kids struggling with these issues) but humorously acknowledges that babies and kids are different and can do different things. In a thoughtfully developed ending, the big sister lists the baby's current and somewhat questionable strengths (burping, peeing, pooping, etc.), but then anticipates her baby brother growing up and joining her world (when he will follow her, copy her, and sit in her fort and share secrets). Heap's playful mixed-media illustrations offer lots of exuberant interpretations of the story, at times providing literal depictions of the little girl's outlandish descriptions (so that when she states "When you're a baby, you don't sit on a chair. You are tied to it," the illustration features a confused infant strapped to a chair by an assortment of different lengths of cord). There's plenty to pore over in the detail-rich scenes, and the childlike but deft lines match the text's exuberance while the candy colors sweeten the text's edge. This is perfect family fare and a welcome departure from storybooks that assume the worst when a new life joins the family.