FICTION

New Baby!

by Stephanie BLAKE
New Baby! illus. by Stephanie Blake. 40p. NorthSouth. Apr. 2016. Tr $15.95. ISBN 9780735842557.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 1—When Simon, a superhero-masked toddler bunny, creates a commotion at home, he is quickly shushed by his mother. Simon has a newborn brother, whom he wishes would go away. His parents assure him that the baby is staying. That night, after his parents put him to bed, Simon cannot sleep. During his insomnia, the bunny imagines that he is surrounded by hungry wolves. He runs to his parents' room, where his father tells him to go back to bed. On his way, he hears his brother making noises. Simon picks him up and brings him into his bed for the night in order to protect the baby, a move that will likely cause parents to cringe. The expressive cartoon family stands out against simple, boldly colored backgrounds.
VERDICT Big brothers and sisters may be better served by Joanna Cole's I'm a Big Brother, Rachel Fuller's My New Baby, or others from the new sibling shelf.
Reviewed by Laura Hunter, Mount Laurel Library, NJ
Bunny Simon is having trouble adjusting to the idea of a new baby ("If it stays, I'll poop all over the place!"). But Simon's nighttime fear of (imagined) wolves opens his eyes to his sibling's value as a sleeping companion. As with Blake's other books, there's not an extraneous word or visual detail--just streamlined storytelling with witty, blunt illustrations.
 , May 01, 2016

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