“Once Upon a Story” Reviews Hey, Baby, Look!

Reviewed by Maria Burel for Once Upon a Story

My thoughts: in the 6½ years I’ve been doing this parenting gig, we’ve read a lot of board books. Particularly with my youngest who was a little more “hands on” in his reading. Meaning, he would either eat or destroy paper books.

We’ve read the simplest of board books, with a single image and corresponding identifying word on a page. We’ve read board book adaptations of longer picture books. We’ve read Sheep in a Jeep until the jeep wasn’t the only ting in pieces.

But we hadn’t read anything quite like Hey, Baby, Look! Each page starts with the phrase, ‘Hey, Baby, look! which, if your kid is like mine, actually words to focus the reader’s attention on that page. This is then followed by a series of questions or directions corresponding with one of four images on the opposite page:

Hey, Baby, look!

Which keep you warm?

Point to the boat.

Where is the shoe?

Which one can float?

The questions vary in cognitive ability, which is nice because it extends the life of this book. Skills range from identifying objects, to colors, to counting, to letters. The images are simple, bright, and distinct. Youngest readers can be guided through the questions with finger-pointing, while my older (3yo) reader actively engages and verbally responds without my prompting. We may be beyond the board books with single images and identifying words, but this one keeps his attention and is kept in regular rotation at our house. A fun addition to any early literacy library!