A class of young schoolchildren learns a spirited lesson about growing up, creatively delivered by Australian author French, a former kindergarten teacher with an insightful grasp of this age group's questioning minds. When Sam brings his infant brother to school for Show and Tell, the teacher, Mr. Judd, reminds the incredulous class that they, too, were once babies. The students bring in their baby pictures and create a photo gallery, rendered in endearing detail by Rawlins (My Place), and then engage in a game of who's who, matching the baby to the classmate ("We guessed Sacha, because he still has the same smile. And Mara, because her hair is as orange as oranges"). Rawlins offers visual clues—Tess wears her hair the same way she did as an infant; Braydon bares his belly, just as he does in his baby photo—and Mr. Judd gives hints for the "tricky ones." But one photograph remains a mystery—who is that sailor-suited cutie? When the class realizes it's Mr. Judd, the children plunge into a pastel-colored reverie, imagining their mustachioed teacher as a baby (complete with facial hair). The children's excitement about this revelation ("Mr. Judd used to eat mushy food,"; "Mr. Judd used to have yucky diapers") drives home French's simple message that "even grownups were babies once." For every child who's ever asked the question, "Was I a baby?" this book is a delightful answer. Ages 4-6. (Oct.)
