I Was Born a Baby

by Meg Fleming, Brandon James Scott (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

The perfect rhyming read-aloud. I Was Born a Baby is equal parts silly and educational as we bounce around all the different names for baby animals — some of which are surprising! Did you know that in addition to dogs — seals, bats, otters and the infamous baby shark are all pups? A fresh, fun gift for any baby shower.

Don’t miss this irresistible read-aloud in the vein of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom—with catchy rhymes and bold, silly art about baby animals and the names they share!

I was born a baby and grew into a kid…

Soon all the other baby animals can’t help but share what they are called and what they grew up into! Readers will learn about owlettes, pufflings, and more. But when the chick, calf, cub, and pup realize they share their names with several other species, they can’t believe it. “No way! No how! That can't be true!” becomes a catchy, energetic refrain readers will love chanting.

The text invites readers to predict what the baby animal is by using context clues and checking the endpapers to see if they guessed right.

The strong rhythm and unexpected discoveries of the baby animal kingdom, plus deadpan humor and wonderfully expressive art, will spark a conversation about names and nature and leave readers wanting to read it aloud again and again.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063157217
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	04/26/2022
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	89,694
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Meg Fleming was born a baby, but people called her Meglet (and sometimes Chick). She spends most of her time playing with words and tapping out rhythms to make books for kids like you. Meg is the author of many picture books, including Sounds Like School Spirit, illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins; Sometimes Rain, illustrated by Diana Sudyka; and Ready, Set, Sail!, illustrated by Luke Flowers. She writes from her home outside San Francisco, where she lives with her husband and three kids (all born babies) and their dog, Opal (who was definitely born a puppy).

Brandon James Scott is the illustrator of The Dog Who Wanted to Fly, a Canadian Children’s Book Centre Best Books for Kids & Teens of 2018, Snow Falls, which was selected for the 2020 Society of Illustrators’ Original Art Exhibition, and the upcoming Cow Says Meow. He is also an Emmy Award-nominated creator of the Canadian preschool television series Justin Time and is an animation director with over ten years' experience in the animation industry. Brandon lives with his family in Toronto, Canada.

Editorial Reviews

03/21/2022

Pups, calves, chicks, cubs, and other young announce themselves to comedic effect in this polished picture book, which tugs at the seeming illogic of nomenclature. Starting with a human child with dark brown skin, different youths present themselves (“I was born a baby./ I was born a colt.// I was born a piglet./ I’m a billy goat”), but a challenge arises when some discover they share a name. After a dog claims to be a pup, for example, a seal pipes up (“No way, no how!/ That can’t be true!”) as do a bat, beaver, and shark (“I’m a pup!/ I’m a pup!// I’m a pup, too!”). Though an end page might be read as comparing skin color and species, Scott’s digitally rendered critters are wide-eyed and full of personality, and scenes vividly capture the absurdity afoot, echoing Fleming’s rhythmic prose, which emphasizes the silliness of language and introduces vocabulary-building terms, such as hoglet and puggle. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Scott’s digitally rendered critters are wide-eyed and full of personality, and scenes vividly capture the absurdity afoot, echoing Fleming’s rhythmic prose, which emphasizes the silliness of language and introduces vocabulary-building terms. — Publishers Weekly

Cool and informative. — Booklist

This clever book is STEM for the smallest set of readers, and kids will not only enjoy a new adventure but will learn the real names of baby animals—so cute! — tinybeans.com

From the Publisher

Cool and informative.

Booklist

This clever book is STEM for the smallest set of readers, and kids will not only enjoy a new adventure but will learn the real names of baby animals—so cute!

tinybeans.com

Cool and informative.

Booklist

03/18/2022

K-Gr 2—Adorable, simplified illustrations of wide-eyed baby animals appear in colorful scenes alongside their formal diminutives: "calves" for young giraffes, whales, and hippos; "chicks" for different kinds of birds. In a funny first-person narration, and along with a surprised-looking Black child, the animals tell readers what they are: "I was born a baby." "I was born a colt." "I was born a piglet." "I was born a billy goat." In briskly rhythmic text, Fleming then expounds on the life cycle of a few creatures, e.g., tadpole, to froglet, to toadlet. In another case, the conversation is about all the "kids" who aren't actually human. It's a lighthearted look at naming and categorization, and not intended to be comprehensive; the emphasis is on babies, erratic naming conventions, and the joy of being young. VERDICT Other volumes take this topic on, but for educators seeking a breezy approach, this is a nice addition to the shelves.—Amanda Chacon

School Library Journal