Hello Benny!: What It's Like to Be a Baby (Growing Up Stories: What It's Like to Be a Baby) [Hardcover]

Robie H. Harris (Author), Michael Emberley (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Growing Up Stories: What It's Like to Be a Baby

Children love to hear the stories about what they were like and all the wonderful, amazing, interesting, and funny things they did from birth through the first few years of their lives. They also have endless questions about those wonderful years:

Can a new baby see? What makes a baby smile?

Do babies only fuss, cry, sleep, and have their diapers changed?

Why do babies put everything they can in their mouths?

How do babies learn to talk? Can babies laugh? Do all babies crawl?

The award-winning team who created Happy Birth Day! and Hi New Baby! launches a brand-new picture-book series, Growing Up Stories -- books that tell enchanting stories and present fascinating facts about the first five years of life.

The first book of the series, Hello Benny!, tells the story of Benny and celebrates his first year of life -- from his very first sounds to his very first smile, to rolling over, sitting up, and standing, to finding out that he loves bananas and doesn't love peas, to shoving cake in his mouth on his first birthday! Hello Benny! captures the remarkable story of what it's like to be a baby and how babies "grow up."

Combining a beautifully told fictional story with a myriad of facts about babies, Harris and Emberley have created a timeless book for children to enjoy and for families to share together.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This initial entry in a new Growing Up Stories series, focused on a child's first five years, is the latest from the ace chroniclers of early child development (Happy Birth Day!; It's So Amazing!). Each spread of the large-format book does double-duty: the bigger illustrations and bulk of the text track the growth of and family interactions with baby Benny from his debut Wha-wha-wha-whaaaaaaaaaaah! to his first birthday party. Set off from the main text in a box with blue type and cartoon-like spot art is a kind of developmental primer, which answers the whys of the behavior spotlighted in the narrative. For example, a spread showing Benny mouthing his foot (Benny looked like a pretzel when he did that!) explains that putting things in their mouths helps [babies] learn whether something feels rough or smooth, soft or hard, comfy or not. The spot illustration shows a baby nipping his sister s nose. He gwabbed by dose! says a cartoon bubble, and the grandfather holding the child tells readers, That's how he learns about noses. Emberley infuses his artwork with a spontaneity and humor that's perfect for the mood of the text. He renders the rapture of new parenthood as confidently as he does the skepticism of new siblinghood, and does a terrific job of depicting Benny's evolving physiognomy from newborn to toddler. Harris's sprightly but detail-packed style is once again pegged at exactly the right level for her young audience. Any growing family should find this volume a welcome addition. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3-This book follows Benny from the day he is born to his first birthday. The large-type text includes anecdotal incidents and the things that he's learning to do; inset boxes, printed in blue, offer more general, factual information. The book covers the development of physical abilities as well as emotional and cognitive advances, such as how language skills are developed or why babies sometimes fear strangers. The subtext gets a bit wordy. For instance, readers are told that crying can mean a baby feels, "hungry, angry, tired, bored, lonely, scared, hurt, or sick-or too hot or cold, or needs a diaper changed-or just wants to play with someone-or have some fun-or be picked up and cuddled." There are no definite time frames given, but rather a chain of events is established-one afternoon Benny pulls himself up to standing, a few weeks later he takes two steps on his own. It is unclear for whom the book is intended. The illustrations point to a younger audience, but preschoolers would never make it through the whole text. Large, expansive drawings feature Benny and his family, with smaller vignettes of other babies and their caregivers, young and old, for the insets. The lighthearted cartoon drawings, reminiscent of the line work of Jules Feiffer, are sweet and full of humor. This is a carefree introduction to the wonder of babies with solid information presented in a busy, two-tiered approach.
Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MI
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry; First Edition first Printing edition (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689832575
• ISBN-13: 978-0689832574
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 10.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,077,878 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fine celebration which comes alive, January 11, 2003

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hello Benny!: What It's Like to Be a Baby (Growing Up Stories: What It's Like to Be a Baby) (Hardcover)

Hello Benny! adds to the 'Growing Up' stories which tells of young Benny, who celebrates his first year of life. Simple text and large pictures tell of Benny's first experiences in life, from encounters with admiring adults to growing older. A fine celebration which comes alive with Michael Emberley's drawings.