Born Yesterday: The Diary of a Young Journalist by James Solheim, illustrated by Simon James

Another new baby book! A brand new baby narrates her life from embarrassing birth (no clothes at all!) to her exploration of the world. The story is punctuated by her admiration of her big sister - she's in kindergarten and she knows EVERYTHING! and finishes with the baby's excitement about their future friendship.

It's an interesting concept - the text is divided into journal entries and the background is lined paper. The illustrations have a Quentin Blake feeling and are small insets around the various journal entries. The baby, despite her writing skills and sometimes adult view of the world around her is still very much a baby and talks about the delights of throwing food, playing with a mobile, and hugging a toy in a realistic and utterly funny way.

The story is very text-heavy - even preschoolers are going to have trouble sitting still long enough for this one, but I'm not sure older kids will appreciate the tongue-in-cheek humor and the baby's viewpoint. A kindergartener with a new sibling might be the best audience for this story.

Verdict: Too limited in audience. I need picturebooks that have a wider appeal and aren't so lengthy.


ISBN: 978-0399251559; Published March 2010 by Philomel; Borrowed from the library