Don't want this baby back, baby back.
THREE PROS
*Kathi Appelt must have a degree in rhymeocology, because her cadence is tight
*Kelly Murphy's artistic skills are equally as impressive -- especially in the way she depicts modern-day families' daily activities
*There are some really memorable phrases in here from "yabba dabba pew" to "chocolate in the shake"
*There are some really memorable phrases in here from "yabba dabba pew" to "chocolate in the shake"
THREE CONS
*Unfortunately, the most likely outcome from reading this book will be your toddler's increased sense of resentment for the newest member of your household
*For a moment it looks like the story turns a corner toward a positive view of baby, only to end with the same quatrain of despair
*For a moment it looks like the story turns a corner toward a positive view of baby, only to end with the same quatrain of despair
*I couldn't actually find a third problem with BNBB, but those first two are so egregious that they kill what was otherwise a stupendous attempt
ONE DAD'S OPINION
Here's the way I see it. If you have a two to five year old who is not adjusting well to the new dynamic in your home, by all means this would be a great story to bust out. For anyone else, reading this book even once might cause actual problems. As I sat on the couch reading it aloud to my son, my wife gave me the shocked evil eye on almost every page of the first half. Why would you ever want to chance tampering with the fragile toddler psyche in exchange for a two-minute activity? I can't imagine how badly this message would have been received had I checked it out before baby #2 arrived. That would have been a setup for pure failure. It's a shame, because the author and the illustrator both bring so much to the table. But, in the end, I am averaging it out to an overall Donate with the disclaimer that it is a Buy for the unique case described above and a Destroy for almost anybody else.
Buy / Borrow / DONATE / Destroy
ONE DAD'S OPINION
Here's the way I see it. If you have a two to five year old who is not adjusting well to the new dynamic in your home, by all means this would be a great story to bust out. For anyone else, reading this book even once might cause actual problems. As I sat on the couch reading it aloud to my son, my wife gave me the shocked evil eye on almost every page of the first half. Why would you ever want to chance tampering with the fragile toddler psyche in exchange for a two-minute activity? I can't imagine how badly this message would have been received had I checked it out before baby #2 arrived. That would have been a setup for pure failure. It's a shame, because the author and the illustrator both bring so much to the table. But, in the end, I am averaging it out to an overall Donate with the disclaimer that it is a Buy for the unique case described above and a Destroy for almost anybody else.
Buy / Borrow / DONATE / Destroy
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