I Was Born a Baby

I Was Born a BabyI Was Born a Baby by Meg Fleming, Brandon James Scott
Published by HarperCollins on April 19, 2022
ISBN: 0063157217
Pages: 40
Genres: Animals
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads
four-stars

A rhythmic, playful, and informative picture book that is an excellent selection for story time as well as a fun book for children to read on their own. A human infant leads the way declaring that they were born a baby. We move on to animals that declare what they were born as (a colt, piglet, fawn, kit, and lamb). All is going well, until a baby chick comes into the picture. “No way, no how! That can’t be true!”, declares a fellow chick — who looks nothing like the first chick. Several other “chicks” follow. How can this be? The story continues on in the vein with the refrain, “No way, no how! That can’t be true!” which young readers will love to repeat!

The bold and colorful digitally-created illustrations complement the energetic text throughout the story. Children can predict what the animals are and then look to see if they are correct by looking at the end pages which groups the animals that have the same names. A rewarding ending as well with the baby growing into a kid along with a baby goat that is also a kid! Toddlers to kindergarten age children will laugh and learn. A strong addition to both public and school libraries.

Reviewed by Terri Bauld, Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library

four-stars