Description
Baby Learns About Time is a board book published by Salina Bookshelf of Flagstaff, Arizona. This bilingual board book is set in the Southwest among the contemporary Navajo Nation. The colourful illustrations by Beverly Blacksheep feature a young Navajo toddler who learns about time. Today is Baby's second birthday. She awakens from her sleep and looks out the window at the sunrise. She wonders what today will bring and more importantly what presents she will receive. At lunch time Baby helps her older sister make lunch and assists by serving bowls of mutton stew. In the afternoon, older brother plays outdoors with Baby. At sunset, Baby's birthday celebration begins. She blows out two candles on her cake and wonders what her presents will be. She hopes it will be a pony. Baby opens a large box and finds her new pony is a rocking horse. When the stars come out in the night sky, Baby gets into her bed. Mother sings a lullaby and Baby goes to sleep. It has been a festive day for this two-year-old Navajo toddler. While the publishers designed the board book to appeal to Navajo preschool and kindergarten-age children, this book will appeal to all young children. This charming book contains Navajo and English text with delightfully simple illustrations by Beverly Blacksheep. Clues about the passage of time during one day in Baby's life are provided by repetition of a changing sky viewed through a window in the family's home. The Navajo translation is provided by linguist Peter Thomas. This board book about a young child who successfully counts from one to ten is an important addition to the limited Native-content board book collection.