Baby Learns About Time

Book Review:

Baby Learns About Time follows a Navajo toddler from sunrise to sunset on her birthday. She awakens full of excitement and spends the day playing and cooking with her family, sharing traditional Navajo frybread and mutton stew, eating cake, and opening presents. Then her mother sings her to sleep. The text progresses through the times of day, from "in the morning" to "in the afternoon" to "when night comes."

Beverly Blacksheep's simple, colorful illustrations trace the course of the sun and moon through the day. She draws Baby and her family in traditional Navajo dress, including moccasins and hair ties.

Because every child loves birthdays, and most birthdays include the same basic elements as Baby's does, young children should be able to relate to Baby and her fun day. With this personal connection drawing children into the book, children should be able to connect, with guidance, with the teacher or librarian's programming goals.

The book is in Navajo and English. Jessie Ruffenach wrote the print, which was translated by Peter A. Thomas. With the Navajo above the illustrations and the English below them, children's eyes should be drawn to the Navajo words. They can linger over the Navajo text visually while listening to the story, and, with some guidance, notice differences between written Navajo and English.

Non-Navajo children's experience with the Navajo culture aspect of this book could be enhanced by the teacher or librarian's own additions to the reading. In my case, a Navajo community member read the Navajo text and I read the English. Hearing the Navajo language breathed some life into the book's surface representation of this culture. Another option might be to expand the lesson to explore characteristics of Navajo culture that could relate to the book, such as a sibling's role as co-parent of younger siblings, or other significant life events such as baby's first laugh and the puberty passage ceremony.

One final note: The book is quite small, about 6 inches square. Teachers and librarians should consider whether this factor will work with their specific audience and space.

Topical connections: time of day, sun and moon, Navajo culture, and Navajo language

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