Baby Shower [Hardcover]

Jane Breskin Zalben (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

IT'S RAINING CATS AND DOGS! PIGLETS AND BABY BEARS, TOO! Just the right weather for a girl who wants a pet and just the right book to celebrate a new arrival.

 

Zoe wants a pet more than anything in the whole world. Then on the night before her aunt Ellie’s baby shower, it actually starts raining cats and dogs . . . and ducklings and piglets, too. Or does it? This charming book by a favorite author and illustrator is the perfect gift to celebrate a new arrival—human or otherwise.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2—Zoe wants a pet more than anything in the world. Her bedroom is furnished with pet decor; she has paw-print rugs and wears bunny slippers. In fact, she thinks about pets all day long. Zoe's mom tries to take the child's mind off her obsession by encouraging her to help make decorations for her Aunt Ellie's upcoming baby shower. That night, she dreams about a shower of baby animals falling from the sky. Zalben's wordplay is evident as a news clip inserted into the illustration adds to this whimsical tale. "It is really raining cats and dogs," reports the weatherman. The day of the shower, "lightning struck and thunder roared, followed by a whimper, a scratch, and a tiny bark." Readers will smile as a puppy appears on Zoe's aunt's porch. The cartoon-style illustrations create a pleasing interplay between text and pictures. Zalben's use of white space throughout the background draws readers to the warm colors, evoking a cozy mood of hearth and home. Some of the pictures are paired with alliterative phases ("Turtles tangled traffic!"), making this choice a fun family read-aloud. This sweet story ends with charm and wit, including the name of the newfound puppy: "Baby."—Melissa Smith, Green Valley Library, Henderson, NV
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Zoe wants a pet. More than anything. To get her mind off dogs on street corners and cats cuddled up in windows, Mama suggests that Zoe help with her aunt’s baby shower. That night in bed, Zoe hears the gently falling rain and soon she’s dreaming about a baby shower—of puppies, kittens, even piglets and ducklings. Weather reports note, “It’s really raining cats and dogs!” Turtles are tangling traffic, and lambs are lolling on lawns. On the day of the baby shower, Aunt Ellie gets the drawing Zoe has made of her dream, but Zoe gets something too. Sitting in a rain puddle is a warm and wet puppy that she names Baby. When her aunt has twins, all the babies get to meet. The story meanders at times, but there is something so dear about this. With its mix of little ones, it’s impossible to resist. Much of the charm comes from Zalben’s sweet and funny ink-and-watercolor pictures, filled with delicious detail in both the homey scenes and windswept expanses of tumbling babies. From Zoe’s bunny house slippers to the goldfish jumping back into their bowl after partaking in the rainy-day baby shower, this offers so much to look at that children will be turning pages after they know the story by heart. A whole new way to think about baby showers. Preschool-Grade 2. --Ilene Cooper

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press (March 30, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596434651
• ISBN-13: 978-1596434653
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 11.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,351,021 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The magical dreamland of a baby shower full of baby animals will bring a smile to your little pet lover's face!, April 12, 2010

By 

D. Fowler "Dragonfly77" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Baby Shower (Hardcover)

Zoe sat in an overstuffed chair dreamily thinking about having a pet. Any kind of pet would do, but it seemed like the only pets she had were in the form of bunny slippers or things like a piggy lamp. She lived, breathed, and dreamed "pet." She loved looking at the dog on the corner, cats in windows, and frisky little squirrels who ran by or sat munching nuts while sitting on a tree stump. It sure wasn't easy being "petless in Port Washington," or anywhere for that matter. Her mother suggested she help her with Aunt Ellie's baby shower. Now that might get her mind off anything "pet." Maybe. Not.

Zoe worked very hard getting things ready for the shower and when her Papa put her to bed that night she was thinking "baby" instead of "pet," and told him, "I'm going to be a big cousin!" When Zoe's mind began to swirl into dreamland, the baby shower began. The babies began to tumble from the clouds outside her window. The piggies, kittens, ducklings, puppies, bunnies, and other little critters swirled through the skies. They landed all over town at the parks, the beaches, the zoos, and farms. Splish, splash, splosh `n plop! It was a sight to behold, but dreams don't last forever. Soon it was time to head to Aunt Ellie's baby shower. A new cousin would be nice, but would Zoe ever get that pet she really wanted?

The magical dreamland of a baby shower full of baby animals and a couple of "real" babies will bring a smile to your little one's face. The artwork, especially the "bouncing, and tumbling, and rolling" baby animals meshed perfectly with the tale. Anyone who's heartstrings have been yanked by a youngster begging for a pet can relate to Zoe's dreamy desire for one. This little story gives new meaning to the expression, "raining cats and dogs." This is one delightful, charming tale you might want to consider for your little animal lover!