You Were the First

Let's hear it for the privileges of birth order! Because as this book reminds all the Numero Unos out there, "One day there may be a second--or a third--to sleep in the basket with the yellow ribbon wound round. But you will always be the first." MacLachlan (Cat Talk) and Graegin (Water in the Park) celebrate the modest milestones that seem so marvelous the first time around: first snowfall, first steps, first smiles, and first coos. As MacLachlan sagely observes, first babies "teach us how to be parents," a statement that many children may find positively revelatory. However, the book presents parenthood as a surprisingly passive learning experience. Graegin's mixed-media images, rendered in soft nursery colors, portray a couple in a kind of holding pattern of happiness. There are no highs, lows, or frantic moments of wondering what to do; every page is a study in warm, easy smiles. Even singletons who think they're very special indeed may see this as an overidealized depiction of the nuclear family. Up to age 3. Author's agent: Rubin Pfeffer, East West Literary Agency. Illustrator's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Sept.)

K-Gr 1--Told in second person, this picture book pays tribute to the significance of the moments with a baby from its very first night home. "You were the first.... You were the first to sleep in the basket with the yellow ribbon wound round. You were the first to cry. You were the first to smile." Simple, poignant lines allow plenty of room for the warm illustrations done in graphite pencil and ink to bring readers into the joyful home of this young family. Each page is full of telling details for children to notice while conveying emotion that will resonate strongly with parents. The baby grows a little with every page turn in this book of firsts-lifting his head, and then crawling, walking, and running-bringing readers to the powerful line in the text: "You were the first to teach us how to be parents." The book closes with that yellow-ribboned basket again while suggesting a possible second child, but promising that this baby will always be the first. A touching celebration for firstborns.--Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA