BEHOLD! A BABY

Step right up, folks, and witness…a besotted dad touting the world’s most extraordinary phenomenon—a baby.

While awestruck emcee Dad extols the baby’s amazing, never-before-witnessed talents before a live audience—accomplishments include smiling, eating a banana, and babbling—older brother grumbles “Big deal” from the cheap seats. Not to be outshone by a mere infant, he shows off what he can do: he eats two bananas simultaneously and trumps the baby talk with a song. The spectators are underwhelmed. Then the baby utters something incomprehensible, and even Dad and the audience take a breather from oohing and aahing. What can this new mouthful of gibberish mean? “Duh. So obvious,” says big brother—and translates to the wonderment of all. After that, guess who takes center stage and realizes the little tyke isn’t such a scene-stealing, attention-grabbing bore after all—plus has big plans for a new performance featuring “BROTHERS”? The story is mildly amusing with its obvious spoof of proud parents’ gushiness over everything a new baby does. Adults will get the stage shtick; little kids, not so much. This is a nice addition to the crowded field of titles about older kids cottoning to their new siblings, but except for the theater angle, it doesn’t really offer much that’s fresh. The flat, digital illustrations are lively and expressive; the characters’ large mouths will evoke smiles.

Ecce yet another picture book that shines a spotlight on the older kid who decides that it's OK for babies to be stars.