Select one of the keywords
There's Going To Be A Baby    by John Burningham & Helen Oxenbury Amazon.com order for
There's Going To Be A Baby
by John Burningham
Order:  USA  Can
Candlewick, 2010 (2010)
Hardcover
* *   Reviewed by Bob Walch

Here's a delightful picture book for new siblings-to-be age two and older. As soon as his mother tells him there's going to be a baby soon in the family, the little boy in this book has many questions.

'When is the baby going to come? What will we call the baby? What will the baby do?'

Responding to all the questions, the child's mother gets him thinking. When she says that perhaps the baby will grow up to be a chef and work in a restaurant, the child says, 'I don't think I’d eat anything that was made by the baby.'

As the give and take between the boy and his mother continues, he finally shows a little angst. 'Mommy, can't you tell the baby to go away? We don't really need the baby, do we?'

Finally the baby arrives and the boy is off to the hospital with his grandfather to see the new arrival. 'Grandad, the baby will be our baby. We're going to love the baby aren't we?' he says as they walk through the hospital corridor.

Focusing on the possible things the new baby will do when once a member of the family, the humorous illustrations show the little one working in the kitchen, painting, growing veggies, taking care of zoo animals, and working in a bank.

The swirl of questions the child asks indicate the boy's excitement, curiosity and even trepidation about having a little brother or sister. This warm story is ideal for preparing a child for a new arrival. Once you've read the story aloud to your youngster be sure to ask if he or she has any questions about the new member of the family. You might be surprised at what you get!

Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons.

Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews