cover image My First Step

My First Step

Wim Heesakkers. Barron's Educational Series, $0 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-8120-5642-6

""My name is Kim. I sleep most of the time.'' So begins the story of a baby's stage-by-stage development, from roly-poly infancy to crawling, from a first step to a small journey to the garden. This baby board book begins promisingly, but after Kim gets to the garden, the reader expects her to learn to run as the next part of her growth. Instead, she stands and points out flowers, the sun, birds and her kitty. The story flattens out, and even the cheerfully buoyant watercolors can't sustain it. Still, the first half is engaging. (26)