Although binomial nomenclature is a grown-up term, kids will have fun wowing others with their knowledge of the common names of many baby animal species. Cartoon illustrations, created digitally, and rhyming text display animals announcing their infant names. A duck, goose, and puffin together exclaim, "I was born a hatchling" e duck "fluffed into a duckling," the goose "grew into a gosling," and the puffin "puffed into a puffling." There can, however, be some confusing overlap among all these designations r instance, baby giraffes, whales, and elephants are all called calves. Children will quickly catch on to the refrain: a creature shouts, "No way, no how! That can't be true!" as the other species reply, "I'm a [chick/calf/cub/etc.] too!" Some lesser-known newborns have very unusual names (porcupette, puggle, joey, hoglet). And what about humans? A boy shouts, "I was born a baby and grew into a kid," only to be accompanied by a final cry from a baby goat, "I'm a kid, too!" Endpapers present different circles for those who share the same baby name. Cool and informative.

Pups, calves, chicks, cubs, and other young announce themselves to comedic effect in this polished picture book, which tugs at the seeming illogic of nomenclature. Starting with a human child with dark brown skin, different youths present themselves (-I was born a baby./ I was born a colt.// I was born a piglet./ I-m a billy goat-), but a challenge arises when some discover they share a name. After a dog claims to be a pup,

K-Gr 2 Adorable, simplified illustrations of wide-eyed baby animals appear in colorful scenes alongside their formal diminutives: "calves" for young giraffes, whales, and hippos; "chicks" for different kinds of birds. In a funny first-person narration, and along with a surprised-looking Black child, the animals tell readers what they are: "I was born a baby." "I was born a colt." "I was born a piglet." "I was born a billy goat." In briskly rhythmic text, Fleming then expounds on the life cycle of a few creatures, e.g., tadpole, to froglet, to toadlet. In another case, the conversation is about all the "kids" who aren't actually human. It's a lighthearted look at naming and categorization, and not intended to be comprehensive; the emphasis is on babies, erratic naming conventions, and the joy of being young. VERDICT Other volumes take this topic on, but for educators seeking a breezy approach, this is a nice addition to the shelves.Amanda Chacon