Water Babies #01: Colors - Hardcover

Granted, looking at pictures of naked babies swimming underwater with seahorses and fish is a bit surrealistic to the average eye. But babies adore looking at babies, and will respond with gurgles of delight, without even needing a snorkel! This oversized board book features five watery spreads, each one sporting its own color theme: "Gentle red sea horses," for example, teems with red balloons, red coral, and red seahorses, while the "tiny orange fishes" spread sports orange toy boats, orange fish, and even a carrot-topped baby! Those who like Water Babies: Colors should also investigate Water Babies: Counting. (Baby to preschool)

PreSchool-Riding the wave of Anne Geddes-like photos of babies, these simple concept books offer a unique twist: all of the pictures were taken underwater. The photos of the ethnically diverse infants are spliced into other pictures of aquatic life to give the impression of children frolicking with fish, dolphins, and other sea creatures. The combinations are effective and clear, offering some intriguing images. However, the concept portions of the books are a bit forced (green turtles, red sea horses, three friendly dolphins) and seem only to exist to give a purpose to Holloway's stunning photographs. Some adults may be troubled by the idea of underwater baby models, but babies themselves will undoubtedly be fascinated by the images of their peers. These books are noteworthy only for their unique photographic style; for concepts, stick to old favorites such as Cathryn Falwell's Nicky, 1-2-3 (Clarion, 1998) and Sandra Boynton's Blue Hat Green Hat (S & S, 1984).
Kathleen M. Kelly, Carroll County Public Library, Eldersburg, MD
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.