WHEN I WAS KING

An older brother bemoans the fact that everything is different with a baby in the house. “Before you came, I owned the throne. / They trembled at my slightest moan. / I was the star, / the prize, / the king…. / But you have ruined / everything.” No one even looks at him anymore—only at the baby. One particularly difficult day, the baby breaks, rips and dribbles on his brother’s stuff. Brother takes it all in stride (more or less) until the baby gnaws his catcher’s mitt, at which point he pitches a fit. Mom reaffirms his place in the family as a big boy, and the brother comes to realize that helping to care for and love a new baby can be fun…and maybe he won’t mind sharing his crown. McPhail’s charming watercolor-and-ink illustrations neatly match both the brother’s mood swings and the innocence of the baby’s mischievousness. Ashman’s use of rhyme and humor extend the age range of the audience in both directions. A good addition to the new-sibling shelf. (Picture book. 3-7)