From Publishers Weekly
The responses by various animal offspring to the titular question in this volume is that each baby belongs to a loving mommy animal (e.g., "Whose baby am I?/ I am a panda baby"), and they inspire irresistible portraits. Butler's (Bashi, Elephant Baby) acrylic and colored pencil illustrations realistically capture nine achingly adorable animals. He infuses his renderings of the cotton puff-like owlet that opens the book, a sweetly gawky zebra calf and a polar bear cub with just the right amount of romanticism. Glints of lavender play in the animals' fur, the trace of a smile can be detected on a bill or mouth and the artist misses no opportunity to emphasize those huge, heart-tugging eyes. The book concludes with a spread that invites youngsters to match the babies with their mothers and a page that labels each offspring with its official name (a koala baby is called a joey, a seal baby is a pup, etc.). Ages 1-4.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-The title question is posed in bold lettering beneath illustrations of a variety of young animals. For each one, the answer is revealed with the turn of a page. For example, "I am an owl baby" shows an owlet and its mother. The gentle pictures done in acrylic and colored pencils depict adorable creatures and their mothers on soft pastel backgrounds. The images are precious and the layout makes this title perfect for storytimes. A double-page spread at the end asks viewers to match the babies on the left with the adult animals on the right. The final page provides the correct names for the babies: joey (koala), chick (penguin), cub (panda), calf (elephant), and so on. This title is destined to be a popular choice.
Olga R. Kuharets, Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, NC Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
