PLB 0-517-80012-8 Rockwell (who illustrated Anne Rockwell’s Halloween Day, 1997, etc.) focuses on a young boy as he and his family prepare for the birth of his baby sister. The precocious narrator confidently discusses the growth of the baby in his mommy’s womb and describes visits to the obstetrician to hear the baby’s heartbeat. Also covered are the arrangements for the boy’s care while his mother is in labor, the hospital visit, and baby’s arrival at home. The young narrator reflects on how his baby sister is not yet used to the concept of day and night and when she, at one point, becomes inconsolable, he fetches a favorite toy to soothe her. In a refreshing departure from other books about siblings, this one does not address negative feelings of anxiety, trepidation, or jealousy. Instead, the approach of the text is optimistic, reflected in Rockwell’s bright, cheerful illustrations. Age-appropriate pictures cover fetal development, including a wonderfully informative spread entitled “How a baby grows,” charting the period from conception to term. An upbeat, encouraging account. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-517-80011-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1999
In facile rhyme, a preschooler lists all the things she can do: “I can dress myself in my very own clothes. I can brush my teeth. I can blow my nose.” These boasts are addressed to her baby brother as her mother goes through the day caring for them both. The girl shown is wildly active, and her poses recall those of the haughty Eloise of Plaza Hotel fame as she upturns food and batter on the kitchen floor, frolics in the house, goes down a slide head-first, and splashes in the tub, disturbing her mother, who has the baby in her arms. The preschooler generously explains to the baby, “And when you get bigger, do you know what I’ll do? I’ll teach every one of these things to you.” The illustrations, executed with a fine, loose drawing style, portray a chaotic but normal, believable household with modern, identifiable objects and scenarios. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: March 30, 1999
ISBN: 0-694-01200-9
Page Count: 24
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1999
Father Rabbit wants to count his very large family in this silly but appealing picture book. Unfortunately, every time he starts to count, they move, hop off, or start a game and he loses track. “ ‘One, two, three, four—oops! Oh, noggin-sploggin, boodle-doodle!’ he grumbled.” He waits until the bunnies are asleep to count them, and feels accomplished, but only until Mother Rabbit shows him the room where a lot of rambunctious little ones remain to be included. Delicately colored illustrations show all the frolicking rabbits, dressed in flowered and striped overalls and hats, climbing trees, dancing, playing hide-and-seek, and snoozing. Young children will enjoy the nonsense rhymes the father mutters every time he gets mixed up in this funny, soothing book. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 1-888444-45-2
Page Count: 26
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1999
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