One Naked Baby [Hardcover]

Maggie Smith (Author)

Book Description

Maggie Smith's rhythmic, occasionally rhyming text brings us through a busy day with baby. We count up from one to ten as baby gets out of the bath, gets dressed, has a meal, and heads outside with mom to play. Then we count down again from ten to one as baby notices flowers and birds, splashes in puddles, plays with puppies, and gets dirty enough . . . to need another bath.The illustrations are bright and busy and filled with things to look at and count. And each spread has a number line on the side with the number of things to be counted on that page highlighted to help youngsters count up to ten and back down again to one.One Naked Baby is a perfect blend of counting book and story that children will want to hear and look at again and again.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreS—The pictures tell the story in this charming counting book. They begin with a spread depicting a child tearing gleefully out of the bathroom and down the hall, pursued by his sassily dressed mama. The spirited toddler goes on to hide in the laundry room, try on a silly hat before getting dressed, pause for a toe-tickling session, eat his lunch, and then join his mother outside for some rainy-day play. In the yard, he finds worms to dig up and puddles to splash in. Naturally, the day comes full circle, with one naked child back in the bathtub. The concise text does little more than name items to count in each picture, starting with the youngster and counting up to 10 happy daffodils, and then back down to one again. This simplicity makes the book an appropriate choice to read aloud to toddlers. The joyous, jewel-toned watercolor illustrations, however, present a more complex and nuanced narrative. The many details will spark preschoolers' imaginations, extending the book's appeal to a much wider audience. The endpapers show an abbreviated version of the story, with a dotted line marking the boy's path through his busy day.—Rachael Vilmar, Atlanta Fulton Public Library, GA
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About the Author

Maggie Smith is an acclaimed author and illustrator. She lives in Los Angeles, California.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (February 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375833293
• ISBN-13: 978-0375833298
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 0.4 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,066,151 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars WARNING: This book is incredibly addictive to toddlers!!!, October 11, 2007

By 

Justin Gaines (Northern Virginia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: One Naked Baby (Hardcover)

My 2-year old son received this book as a gift a week ago, and has ignored all of his other books in favor of this cute little counting adventure. He usually says "the end" once we reach the last page of a book (and goes to grab another), but once the title character gets back in the bath at the end, all I hear is "again"...over and over again. By now my wife and I have this book committed to memory, and our son's not too far behind us.

I understand why he loves it so much. He loves to count, there are plenty of neat items to point out in the background on each page, and the main character's daily routine is similar to his own. Beyond that, the rhythm of the story is surprisingly captivating, given just how few words are on each page. Whatever the reason, One Naked Baby has quickly become the most (only) requested book in our house. I'm actually starting to miss past favorites Good Night, Gorilla and Hug.

My only complaint is that there is no board book version available. A book this addictive to toddlers would benefit from a less fragile format. Still, that's a minor gripe for this charming book that has so thoroughly captured my son's interest.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another wonderful read from Maggie Smith, June 19, 2007

By 

Cynthia M. Sanger (Newton, MA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: One Naked Baby (Hardcover)

I bought the book for my 17 month old daughter last month and we have had a wonderful time reading it together. Mostly she loves the illustraions (given her age) and pointing at the baby who appears thoughtout and saying "baby". She is very gentle and respectful of the paper pages (norally she reads board books) which is a testimony to how much she values it. We took off the dustcover and set it up on her table in her room so she can see it as well as a piece of artwork. The artwork thoughout is wonderful, the colors so rich and the images very evocative of farms and gardens I knew as a child in the country. We think the counting theme will sink in very soon, although the target age for that is somewhat older. The story is simple enough for a very young audience, but the illustrations and the wealth of subject matter rich enough that I think this is a book most children will treasure for a very long period of time.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One Naked Baby runs away with your heart, May 4, 2007

By 

Jennifer "Story Lady" (Oregon Coast) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Naked Baby (Hardcover)

I loved this book! Every time I opened it I found something new. With counting numbers, adorable animals and wonderful details, from the first page to the last this bouncing baby boy book is completely charming! The illustrations and simple rhyming text make this book a winner. Young children will reach for it again and again with a new discovery each time.