Edgar's Second Word

PreS-Gr 2—As Hazel looks forward to the birth of a baby brother, she gathers books to share with him and practices reading aloud to her stuffed bunny. Once Edgar arrives, she is frustrated because he cannot respond to her reading with his own words: "Mostly he pointed. And grunted." Then Hazel and her mother rejoice when Edgar speaks his first word, "No." At the end of a long day of no's, they wearily prepare for bed and are thrilled to hear Edgar's second word. The ending delivers a pleasant surprise but will not sustain repeated readings. The distinctive digital illustrations depict a loving, cheerful family. The slight, sweet story touches on but doesn't emphasize a baby's natural acquisition of language through grunts, coos, finger points, smiles, and babble and how those who surround the toddler support that language acquisition. Anna McQuinn's Lola Reads to Leo (Charlesbridge, 2012) is a better choice.—Laura Scott, Farmington Community Library, MI