Baby Shoes

Dashka Slater Baby Shoes; Illus. by Hiroe Nakata. Bloomsbury Children’s Books 2006 ISBN 1-58234-684-4 $15.95 (Preschool)


While shopping, Baby chooses brand-new, high-jumping, fast-running, fine-looking plain white shoes. As Baby drags his mama all through the town he manages to get a little bit of everything from grass stains to plum juice on his shoes! Mama and Baby share “Uh-oh’s” and “Oh-no’s”, but Baby’s shoes just “Go-go-go”! Slater (Firefighters in the Dark) once again attracts young readers by allowing the direction of the story to be lead by an endearing child. The rhythmic pattern of the text grabs the reader’s attention, and the repetitive refrain of the story encourages youngsters to sing along. Nakata uses her famous watercolors to depict the lively text and really bring the colors of Baby’s trip through town to life. This interactive book is excellent for playful toddlers who will relate easily to the story and will respond excitedly to the song-like story.

Mary Rucker, BGSU student