Total Pageviews

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Where's Baby? Written and illustrated by Anne Hunter. tundra, Penguin Random House. 2020. $21.99 ages 3 and up

"Ba - by!

Are you indoors?

Maybe Baby
went out.

Ba - by!

Are you up in
that tree?"

Papa Fox is in a quandary! He can't find Baby Fox.

He asks Mama. She tells him that Baby must be somewhere. He looks in all the obvious places. To a reader's great delight, he doesn't look in the most conspicuous of them all. Not finding him indoors, he sets off to look up, inside, over, down, under, and around. At each spot he does encounter an animal that is there, but never his own baby.

After much searching, he is tired and consumed by concern. When he asks Mama Fox for help once more, she provides just the answer that kids who are watching and listening to the story have been trying to tell Papa all along. One more direction to check, Papa! What about behind you?

The sly little one has been playing a very successful game with his unaware father from the opening scene. Readers who are careful observers of all that has been happening will be delighted that Papa has finally become part of the joke. Especially when Baby wants to play all over again. Kids will be absolutely ready to repeat the adventure.

The dialogue that comprises the full text makes for a fun read. The ballpoint and colored pencil images are a perfect match to the conversation. Baby is always there, mostly obvious and offering expressive perspectives on the animals met, and his own joke, along the way.

Sure to encourage giggles, and perhaps a similar game or two of their own, this is a book that will be savored for weeks to come. Highly entertaining!
                                                                           

No comments:

Post a Comment