Pecan Pie Baby [Hardcover]

Jacqueline Woodson (Author), Sophie Blackall (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: October 28, 2010 | Age Range: 5 - 8 years | Lexile Measure: 710L (What's this?)

Gia is tired of hearing about the new baby. It hasn't even been born yet, but everyone, even her friends, seem fixated on it. Gia thinks things are fine just the way they are! And she's worried: if the baby's such a big deal now, what's going to happen to Gia's nice, cozy life with Mama once it's born?

Beloved author Jacqueline Woodson and Sophie Blackall have created a heartwarming story for kids adjusting to the idea of a new family member. Young readers will be reassured by Gia's eventual understanding that the baby won't ruin the special bond she has with her mom, and might even be a sweet addition to the family.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 2–Gia's mother is pregnant, and the child is not happy about it. As the story progresses, so does Gia's resentment until it all comes to a head at the Thanksgiving dinner table when she says quietly at first, and then practically yells, “‘I'm so sick of that ding-dang baby!'” She is sent to her room where she has time to think. Mama later shares her feelings of how she, too, is going to miss some of the things that will change when the baby comes. “‘Those were the good old days.' says Gia. Mama says, “‘Guess you're going to have to tell the baby all about it,' and Gia agrees, ‘I guess I am.'” From then on, the girl is reassured and her attitude changes for the better. The one thing that Gia, her mother, and the new baby already share is a love of pecan pie. This sweet universal story will have broad appeal. Blackall's full-spread illustrations done in ink and watercolor gently convey the sense of passing time, along with Gia's frustration and nostalgia regarding how things used to be and how they will change. A fine addition to the new-sibling canon.Mary N. Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

Gia is totally sick of all the talk about the “ding-dang baby” who will come soon—maybe when the snow comes, Mama says. Everything in Gia’s world seems to revolve around this new arrival. Gia’s friends ask her if she wants a brother or a sister; her grandmother and her aunts fuss over Mama; her teacher reads a story about being a big sister; and her uncles arrive to put a crib together. Finally, Gia loses it and yells during Thanksgiving dinner, “I’m so sick of that DING-DANG BABY!” Gia’s fury, as well as her loving bond with her single-parent African American mother and her extended family, forms the heart of the story, and the ink-and-watercolor illustrations show mother and daughter telling silly stories, remembering good times, and snuggling up together until finally Gia is cuddling close to feel that ding-dang baby jumping around in Mama’s belly. The honest story about jealousy, anger, displacement, and love will touch kids dealing with sibling rivalry and spark their talk about change. Preschool-Grade 1. --Hazel Rochman

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 5 - 8 years
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (October 28, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399239871
• ISBN-13: 978-0399239878
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 9.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #329,343 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jacqueline Woodson's awards include 3 Newbery Honors, a Coretta Scott King Award and 3 Coretta Scott King Honors, 2 National Book Awards, a Margaret A. Edwards Award and an ALAN Award -- both for Lifetime Achievement in YA Literature. She is the author of more than 2 dozen books for children and young adults and lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for kids dealing with change December 10, 2010

By Rose Paulsen

Format:Hardcover

Pecan Pie Baby is a great book for kids who are adjusting to a new family member. It honors the child who is feeling a little out. Kid's about to have a sibling will be comforted by the message that they will always be special to their mom and that a new addition can be a sweet thing.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars review June 2, 2012

By Nick

Format:Hardcover

Pecan Pie Baby by Jacqueline Woodson is about a little girl who is troubled because she will soon be an older sister, but she does not want her mother to have another baby. Gia, the soon to be older sister, is tired of everyone reminding her about the baby. Everything she does and everywhere she goes, someone is talking about the baby. One night, when her entire extended family comes over for a Thanksgiving meal, Gia gets fed up with all the baby talk, so she yells out how she doesn't want the baby to come. The issue is resolved when later that night her mother consoles her and tells her that she too will miss the times when it was just the two of them, and that Gia should tell the baby all about them.

This book is a great book for introducing alternative families because in the book there is no father. Gia and her mother live alone together. Also when her aunts and uncles come over, not all of them are the same race. These different family arrangements introduce to young readers the idea that a family's identity can be made up of many different combinations, not just a two parent home with everyone the same race.

This book is also great for a child who may be upset because he or she will become an older sibling. This book shows that before the baby is born, everyone will talk about it because it is an exciting thing to happen, but it also tells the reader that once the baby is born, the family's size will be different, but everyone will be loved the same and life will go on.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Mommy, Baby, and Me August 2, 2011

By Catherine W. Hughes

Format:Hardcover

A mother and her young daughter, Gia, prepare for a new baby to arrive. Gia tires of everyone talking about the baby, but she knows one thing: the "ding-dang" baby will love pecan pie, just like Gia and her mother. Gia grows frustrated, but her mother reminds her of how much she will miss the life they lived before the baby. Gia, as an older sister, will have to tell the baby all about those good old days, perhaps over a piece of pecan pie. Children ages 3-6, especially those expecting a new baby, will find cozy comfort in this book about becoming an older sister.