Everywhere Babies [Board book]

Susan Meyers (Author), Marla Frazee (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up

Every day, everywhere, babies are born. They're kissed and dressed and rocked and fed--and completely adored by the families that love them. With an irresistible rhyming text and delightfully endearing illustrations, this board book is an exuberant celebration of playing, sleeping, crawling, and, of course, very noisy babies doing all the wonderful things babies do best.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"Every day, everywhere, babies are born," writes Meyers (Hello Jenny), as Frazee (The Seven Silly Eaters) presents the first in a series of wry, elegant watercolor vignettes: a row of multiracial, swaddled newborns whose expressions range from "How did I get here?" to utter boredom. The pages that follow prove that ministering to babies is all-pervasive as well. "Every day, everywhere," as each spread announces in hand-lettered display type, babies are either collecting kisses, getting schlepped, exhausting their parents (a state that Frazee portrays with knowing and hilarious precision), toddling or growing. Rhyming text in smaller type elaborates on each theme: e.g., to "Every day, everywhere, babies are carried " Meyers adds, "in backpacks, in front packs, in slings, and in strollers, in car seats, and bike seats, and on Daddy's shoulders." As Meyers builds to the expected coda (babies being "loved for trying so hard, for traveling so far, for being so wonderful... just as they are!"), it's Frazee's canny wit that tips the work away from sentimentality to evoke a wide range of emotions. A charming paean to the adoration (and accessories) that families lavish on their offspring. Ages 2-5.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

PreS-Young listeners will appreciate this gentle rhyme that portrays babies with their families and friends being drawn into everyday activities. The lilting text recites the eating, sleeping, and leisure habits of a winsome cast of multicultural tykes, but, most of all, it impresses on readers how much they are loved. Expressive, animated pencil-and-watercolor paintings depict a full range of infant motions and emotions that bring this ensemble to life. The clear double-page spreads usually contain one large or several smaller scenes against lots of white space. The facial expressions in several scenes are particularly captivating and endearing. This delightful homage to the youngest among us should be a hit at toddler storytimes, and the book will be great for individual sharing because there is a certain amount of very basic seek-and-find potential fun to be had in poring over the illustrations. Everywhere Babies should be in every preschool collection.-Rosalyn Pierini, San Luis Obispo City-County Library, CA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Board book: 30 pages
• Publisher: HMH Books (September 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152053158
• ISBN-13: 978-0152053154
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (87 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #90,594 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #62 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Health > Personal Hygiene

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of our favorites!, September 27, 2004

By 

Book-loving Momma (Stoughton, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Everywhere Babies (Hardcover)

I HAD to buy this book when I saw that it included pictures of a baby nursing and another being carried in a sling! And although my husband insists we have too many books, once he read it he agreed that this one was worth getting.

This is a beautiful book about all sorts of ways babies are fed, carried, dressed, how they play, etc. And of course, bottles and strollers are in there too!

I love how inclusive this book is. We all love the illustrations. My daughter seems to love the rhythym to the words, because she always asks for "more" when I read it to her, even if she's half asleep and not paying too much attention to the pictures.

And to anyone who didn't like the book simply because it has one of two (subtle) pictures of what may or may not be same-sex couples, that's a shame. And I think you missed the point of the book, big time. Everyday, everywhere, babies ARE being raised by two mommies or two daddies, or bi-racial couples. And those babies are loved just as much as yours are.

I'm hoping my daughter DOES eventually notice in the pictures that not all these families look like hers. A little more tolerance of our differences would make this world a better place.

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Adorable pictures of babies and loving families, September 4, 2004

By 

Danielle (Columbus, Ohio) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Everywhere Babies (Hardcover)

My 2-year-old son picked this book out at the library and adores it. He likes the smiling messy baby at the end, and has learned descriptive words like "messy" and "small" from talking about the pictures. The text is simple and repetitive, and the pictures are gentle and witty. The focus is on the babies themselves and all the things they experience and do. Many but not all of the babies are smiling-- some are serious, some are curious, some are yelling, some look a bit annoyed, just like real babies do, which adds to the charm. I also like the variety of families represented, and the fact that we see old people and people not in perfect physical shape nurturing and having fun with babies as well as typical 20-something-looking parents. It's not always clear who is related to whom in this book. The relationships are portrayed subtly (is that a neighbor or a dad? a grandma or a child-care provider? a pal or a partner?) -- we are left to imagine the families as we wish to. The thing that's clearly most important is that everyone loves the babies. We parents find that the illustrations hold our interest after many readings, a real treat. We love this book.

31 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This has to be my favorite book that I've found this year!, September 14, 2004

By 

KSL "emma-and-me" (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Everywhere Babies (Board book)

I love this book because it easily applies to my daughter who was born in my heart! All babies and people are the same, when cut we all bleed the same blood, families come in all shapes, sizes, skin colors and a smile is a smile in any language.

I love the last 3 pages.... Every day, everywhere, babies are loved.... for trying so hard, for traveling so far, for being so wonderful...just as they are!

I think the illustrations are beautiful and hope that book the author and illustrator gets together for more wonderful book! And my daughter loves just loves this book!