So Much! [Paperback]

Trish Cooke (Author), Helen Oxenbury (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Mom and baby are home alone when—DING DONG!—Auntie and then Uncle and Nannie and Gran-Gran and the cousins come to visit. And they all want to hug and kiss and squeeze and eat the baby right up—because everybody loves the baby SO MUCH! With Helen Oxenbury lending her characteristic warmth and humor to a most exuberant family party, Trish Cooke's rhythmic, cumulative story captures the joy of being the baby in a large extended family—a baby who knows that he is absolutely, utterly adored.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A baby boy is showered with love from his relatives as the clan gathers for a celebration in this exuberant picture book. The baby waits at the window with Mom, not "doing anything... nothing really," when, one by one, family members ring the doorbell and make a grand entrance. Auntie Bibba wants to squeeze the baby, Uncle Didi wants to kiss him, Nannie and Gran-Gran want to eat him and the baby's cousins want to fight him-all because they love him SO much. Once the house is "full, full, full," Dad walks in-and gets a real surprise. Cooke's (When I Grow Bigger) bubbly language works perfectly with her cumulative structure to take full advantage of the excitement and suspense of each new arrival. She also occasionally adopts African American dialect ("He flip-flap him over till he nearly drop him"), which may prove to be a slight stumbling block for some. Vibrant gouache paintings capture all the warmth of this close-knit group and realistic details of their clothes and mannerisms give the characters added life. Oxenbury (We're Going on a Bear Hunt) balances bold full-page portraits with transitional black-and-white spot art, modulating the flow of the joyous proceedings. Ages 3-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1?A toddler and his mother are perched on a couch, doing nothing really, when "DING DONG!" the doorbell rings, and in comes Auntie Bibba, arms out wide, wanting to squeeze the baby "SO MUCH!" After the three of them settle in, Uncle Didi arrives wanting to kiss the baby "SO MUCH!" By the end of this cumulative tale, told in a sort of Caribbean patois, the urban dwelling is filled with loving family waiting for the child's father's surprise party to begin. One young cousin expresses his affection for the baby by wanting to "fight" him so much, but the illustrations make clear that he is really just rough-housing. Oxenbury's dynamic, exaggerated representations of this exuberant black family are humorous and filled with action. The black-and-white line drawings beneath the large-print text are more successful than the full-page, full-color gouache paintings with which they alternate, as the latter border on caricature. Nonetheless, the rhythmic text and oversized format will make this a fun read-aloud.?Anna DeWind, Milwaukee Public Library
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; Reprint edition (September 23, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763640913
• ISBN-13: 978-0763640910
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 0.2 x 11.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #675,530 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who's the center of attention? Baby!, December 18, 2001

By 

Faye Ku "I cook by the book" (Bellevue, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: So Much (Paperback)

My son loves this story! He is 14 months old, and we checked this out from the library 3 weeks ago. He has wanted us to read it to him every night before he goes to bed. It's perfect at bedtime, because it ends with the baby going to sleep after the most wonderful day you can imagine. Though it's Daddy's birthday party that's brought everyone to the house, baby is the one that everyone wants to kiss and hug.

Helen Oxenbury's illustrations are incredible, the way the people seem to have real weight and personality. I especially love the baby, and there's one drawing of him holding his teddy bear, wrapped in his blanket, with his thumb in his mouth, which is EXACTLY the way my son looks when he's tired and sleepy, getting ready for bed. Of course, my son's Asian/Jewish, not African American, but this book is truly universal.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and upbeat story!, July 17, 2000

By 

Kelley Nayo Cliett (Pinole, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: So Much (Paperback)

My two year old absolutely loves this book! It was the first book he received 2 years ago and he really enjoys all the characters, especially Nannie, Gran Gran and Big Cousin Ross. I do change the language a little bit so that it's gramatically correct, but once I got over that obstacle, I really love it too. And we do read it every night. As a matter of fact, I had to order another copy because the first one got torn up by my son's little hands. Excellent addition to any library.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We love this book SO MUCH!, April 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: So Much (Paperback)

I have a habit of browsing bookstores in every place I visit and selecting a book each for my daughter (age 5) and son (age 1). I picked this book up in CA and loved it immediately! I knew it would be a hit with both the kids and it was. My son completely identifies with the "baby" and loves to point to him on every page. At the end of the story we all hug, kiss, and try to eat him! I am sending copies to my best friends. It's always great to see a lovable African-American tale.