Baby's First Year

by Rick Walton, Caroline Jayne Church (Illustrator)

Grab it. Chew it. Throw it, too.
That's what babies like to do.
And pretty pictures! Look, Baby, Look!
At our smart Baby's very first . . .
. . . BOOK!

A baby's first year is full of milestones, from first smiles to first steps, and this book celebrates them all! A clever and bouncy text, vibrant ink-and-collage illustrations and an impossibly cute baby make this the perfect gift book for baby showers, and it even includes a poster on the reverse of the jacket that new parents can use to record their own little ones' spectacular achievements.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Family, Fiction, Storytime

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 17, 2011

About the author

Born and raised in Utah, Walton is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormon Church. He served as a missionary to Brazil from 1976 to 1978, soon after he graduated from high school. Later, at Brigham Young University, he became president of the Brazil Club. In 1980, he graduated from Brigham Young with a bachelor's degree in Spanish and a minor in Portuguese, the language spoken in Brazil.

Walton's education continued after he obtained his degree. In 1980, he went back to Brigham Young for one semester of graduate work in business, but chose not to follow that career path. Deciding to become a teacher, he earned certification in elementary education from Brigham Young in 1987, as well as certification to teach gifted and talented students. Up to that point, he had held a number of jobs, including a year with the parks and recreation department of Provo, Utah. In 1987, he began teaching sixth grade at a local public school, then switched to a private school.

Also interested in computers, Walton would later publish several items of software. He left teaching to accept a position as software designer for IBM in 1989. In 1994, he turned to freelance software design and writing. He also returned to Brigham Young University once again, this time to earn his master's degree in English, with an emphasis on creative writing.

Walton's wife, Ann, with whom he has written many of his books, is a computer programmer. They were married in 1983, and have five children. With Dumb Clucks! and Something's Fishy! in 1987, the Waltons began writing books.

Reviews

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet book about many of a baby's first during their first year. It's such a good guide as a parent of the experiences we want to be sure and take pictures of and record.

Talking Points: If you could go back and choose as a baby, who would you kiss first? What would your first word be? What would you crawl to first? How would you want to do each of the baby firsts?

**Essential Oil Pairing Tip: Babies days are filled with learning, even though sometimes their progress seems slow and sometimes we wonder if they are progressing at all. Sometimes too our progress is slow and sometimes we wonder if we are progressing at all. I think diffusing doTERRA's Adaptive can be super supportive of the patience that it takes to keep trying when learning new things, so that's why I'm suggesting diffusing it while reading this book.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sweet story with big bold illustrations. The reader is taken through baby's first year when the firsts are experienced - laugh, playing peekaboo, teething, first steps and many more things.

[Renee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Summary: In rhyming text, the milestones of Baby's first year are celebrated.

"Our little Baby's finally here.
So small,
so cute.
Our little dear.
Our brand-new Baby's here to stay.
It's our new Baby's very first...
DAY!"

Books show baby's first day, kiss, smile, peek-a-boo, laugh, crawl, tooth, book, word, step, fall, year. Siblings about toddler-preschool age are also included in this book that has a positive look at the new baby in the family. Would be a good book for new siblings.

I would use this with my preschool story time. It is okay and would go along with a baby theme. Nothing in particular jumped out at me though to make it a must use book. The way that the rhyming is (structure of the stanzas) I'm not sure all kids could guess the rhyme that is coming up.

Themes: new babies, siblings

[Candice · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute rhyming book about all the milestones a baby reaches in its first year. This would be a good book for older siblings.

"Our little Baby's finally here.
So small,
so cute.
Our little dear.
Our brand-new Baby's here to stay
It's our new Baby's very first...
DAY!"

And so the rhymes go - baby's first kiss, smile, laugh, tooth, step... The illustrations are simple and appealing, and show both brother and sister interacting with the baby.

[Shaid Zaman · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Our little Baby's finally here.
So small,
so cute.
Our little dear.
Our brand-new Baby's here to stay
It's our new Baby's very first...
DAY!"

এমন সুন্দর সুন্দর সব ছন্দ দিয়ে সাজানো বইটা। বাচ্চার প্রথম পৃথিবীতে আগমন, তার প্রথম হাসি, প্রথম উঠে বসা, প্রথম হামাগুড়ি দেয়া, প্রথম টলমল পায়ে হাটা, প্রথম আছার খাওয়া, প্রথম জন্মদিন পালন- এমন সব মাইলস্টোন মুহূর্তগুলোকে সুন্দর ভাবে তুলে ধরা হয়েছে ছন্দের মাধ্যমে। সাথে রয়েছে অসাধারন ইলাস্ট্রেশন। আর কি লাগে?

[The Library Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice, positive book for new siblings. Baby's clothes and text are both gender non-specific, so could be a boy or a girl, and there are siblings of both sexes. The text swings nicely and leaves the final rhyming work for the next 2 page spread.
My one quibble? Yes, I know babies chew on books, but does that have to be included here?
Hope at least that the book is a board book....

[Lauren Iuppa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't really sure how I felt about this book. I didn't really know what the actual message was behind the story. I did find the story was super cute on telling a story of how a baby developed his first everything as a baby. I just wasn't too interested in the story structure but it was very cute for a little baby.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very cute rhyming book about a baby's first year milestones, such as smiling, laughing, crawling, and walking. It would be good for a sibling of a new baby. Recommended for ages 6 months - 5 years, 4 stars.

[Adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up just two weeks before my twins' first birthday, and it's a sweet little book, reflecting on baby's firsts--first smile, laugh, steps, etc. I think it might be more fun for adults, reminiscing about their children's firsts, but it's still a cute book for kids, too.

[Linda Atkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Baby will delight you! Bright, bold and beautiful illustrations.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute book about a new baby and all his or her "firsts. Nicely done--appropriate to read with baby and/or with big brother or big sister.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet and simple book about baby's first accomplishments. Rhyming does not work in one instance. Illustrations are simple and bold.

[Anne Beier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I like it so much because I'm watching my granddaughter as she goes through her first year.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice book about milestones for new siblings. Has a rhyming component as well.

[Rusty Gregory · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Our little Baby's finally here."

This was a fun story about the growth of a cute little baby. It has fun characters and a baby with a really big (but cute) head.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

super cute pictures

[Sheena Haskins · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was ok

[Casandria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute rhyming book about first year milestones.
Babies

[Thia]

new baby

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audrey enjoyed looking at the baby and learning about some of her own 1st milestones.