Customer Reviews

Everywhere Babies

5 star:		(76)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

Even if you don't have a child to share this book with, you'd enjoy seeing what babies everywhere are doing! I would share this book with preschoolers--either to rememeber their babyhood, or if they have a new baby in the house. The text is simple, and could apply to a preschooler's life as well. The illustrations are tastefully done, with much detail, and use a variety of colors and layouts (some are full page, others have more white space). The babies and families portrayed are quite diverse, and are drawn doing different activities within each "every day, everywhere, babies are..." that occupies the page. Overall, I recommend this book to anyone who loves to see babies in all aspects of life!

This has got to be one of the finest books on the topics of babies, and the artwork is simply wonderful. Our twin toddler girls love the book and can have it read to them repeatedly. The topics cover everything from eating, walking, singing, crawling, growing, running, and the whole gamut of activities from the early stages of growth to the toddler years. And the caricatures are fantastic and very attractive to take in. It's a very encouraging and teachable tool in the hands of parents who love to read to their children, and my family highly recommends it!!!

We've had this book for a few years and it's still a favorite of my 4 year old and now my 18 month old - as well as mine. I love that the illustrations depict real people - all shapes, sizes, ages, color, messy and clean! As for those that are upset about the "homosexual" depictions - how sad is it that in this day and age when we see a man hugging another man we assume they are gay - or when we see a completely wiped out mom laying on a bed with another woman we make the same assumption? Maybe they're sisters, maybe they're 2 tired moms, maybe they are gay - who cares! And for those concerned about how your child sees it - if you don't mention it they won't even notice - they'll just think everyone is friends and loves each other - which I hope my girls believe as long as possible.

My 2-year-old son loves this book. I got it because it has a rich representation of all types of families (rarely found in children's books, even today): parents with (adopted) children of another race (this is our family situation), biracial couples, mothers breastfeeding a baby, fathers bottle-feeding a baby, lesbian and gay parents, single parents.

All this is shown not in a politically correct or preachy way, but just as a casual, panoramic view of...well, babies everywhere!

Each full 2-page spread shows many babies of all races and sizes, some smiling, some screaming, some sleeping. The paintings are amusing, realistic, fun, and the babies are sweet. My son will point out certain babies, and loves the baby at the end who is so clean on one page, and, having eaten her birthday cake, so dirty on the next.

This book is appropriate for all toddlers, and an especially good choice for those with family members of different races or lifestyles.

My daughter has loved this book since the first day we received it as a gift many months ago (she is now 16 months old) and begs us to read it to her at every opportunity. We actually have a few "love rips" in it that have been repaired with packing tape. I feel that I must address the bigoted comments previously listed concerning this book. #1 for those of you who call yourselves Christians, please remember that there are gay and lesbian Christians, too. #2 a supposed hallmark of Christianity is that you are supposed to love your neighbor as yourself and not judge people. #3 the fact that you were innocently enjoying this book with your children until you "looked closely" to find the alleged subversive content is telling. This reminds me of the folks who were freeze framing Disney videos, attempting to find offensive content in "The Lion King." (Who has the dirty mind here?) As a previous reader pointed out, the folks portrayed in this book don't necessarily have to be gay or lesbian; plenty of people in cultures around the world (as well as our own) show same sex affection that is not necessarily sexual in nature (or these people could be blood relations). But I will grant you that I, who am heterosexual and married, who leads a moral life (indeed, a much more moral life than Christians like Jerry Falwell and Jimmy Swaggart), relish the idea that these folks are or could be gay, and so does my husband. We have many gay and lesbian friends and wish they could be even more represented in books like this. I will proudly point out these pictures to my daughter as she gets older and asks questions. It seems difficult to believe that someone would take offense at these innocent pages. In an age in which heterosexual relationships are constantly popularized by mindless, commitmentless pap such as "Who wants to marry a millionaire", "Joe Millionaire" and its ilk (I can't even remember the rest of the shows' titles, they are so stupid that I never watch them), it's pathetic to think that anyone could be less than thrilled to see same sex couples lovingly, devotedly, caring for their happy, contented, children. And finally, I must say to you, Lighten Up! It's just a book about BABIES! It's not the Gay Manifesto!
Nancy Stender

We got this book at the library and my 2 year old daughter could not get enough of it. Every day for the 3 weeks we had it she would bring it to me and say "read mama read!". It has adorable illustrations of all sorts of babies doing all different things, eating, being dressed, laughing, etc. The pictures are so very cute and the babies come in all shapes, sizes and colors which is great to see such diversity. The words are simple with each page being "Everywhere, everyday babies are..." and it goes on to describe them doing various things. My daughter loved this one so much I just bought her a copy for herself here and I know it will be a hit at Christmas!

I loved this book that my mother bought for my daughter when I was pregnant with my youngest child. The illustrations are beautiful and the rhyming cadence is great. I was appalled to read reviews lambasting this book for blatant homosexuality. The only reason I read the review on the book (and thus found out about the "blatant homosexuality") was because I was looking for more books by the same author. After I read the review I reread the book and I had to look really hard to find the homosexual couples. My husband and I both enjoyed this book and we would categorize the illustrations of homosexuals as "subtle", not "blatant". I adore this book and my kids do, too. We live in an age where there are all types of relationships and I think this book is very welcoming to all couples. I would recommend this book.