The Boss Baby [Hardcover]

Marla Frazee (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: August 31, 2010 | Age Range: 4 and up

From the moment the baby arrived, it was obvious that he was the boss.

The boss baby is used to getting his way--drinks made to order 24/7, his private jet plane, and meetings around the clock. But when his demands aren't getting proper responses, he has to go to new lengths to achieve the attention he deserves.

Marla Frazee brings her signature wit and humor--along with adorable illustrations--to a book that explores the effect of one family's very unusual new arrival.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 2 Boss Baby is here and he's just as capricious and demanding as any corporate CEO. From midnight meetings to made-to-order drinks, this little tyrant keeps his staff of two on the run until they finally pass out from exhaustion and fail to respond to his calls. He resorts to some out-of-the-box thinking and discovers two magic words that quickly bring Mom and Dad back to attention. Frazee's '50s-inspired pencil and watercolor illustrations set the tone, beginning with the cover image, where Boss Baby appears stern-faced in his suit-and-tie onesie beside a smiley-face rattle that has clearly failed to amuse. The author again proves her storytelling chops and her artistic genius in this tongue-in-cheek tale in which text and image overlap seamlessly to deliver a perfectly timed punch line. Parents and older siblings will best appreciate both the visual humor and the new-baby blues presented here. Offer this read-aloud to families experiencing their own infantile corporate takeover. Jayne Damron, Farmington Community Library, MI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Starring an imperious infant in a Wall Street–worthy, suit-style onesie, this farcical picture book has fun with the ubiquitous jokes that the baby is the boss in any household. The tot lays down the law from the minute a taxi drops him at his parents’ door. With a giant briefcase in tow, the tyrannical executive schedules round-the-clock “meetings” (diaper changes and feedings, as the pictures reveal) until he grinds his beleaguered team into unresponsive exhaustion. How does he prod them back to work? With his first “Ma-ma” and “Da-da,” of course. Paired with perfectly timed, deadpan text, Frazee’s artwork is as slyly comic and artfully expressive as ever, but all the business-world in-jokes, such as the spread featuring the baby’s “executive perks” (including baby-bottle cocktails), feel targeted more toward weary parents than a picture-book audience. Even if they don’t get every reference, though, kids (especially older siblings) may enjoy the silliness in the images as well as the underlying truths about how a baby’s arrival changes a family. Simon James’ Baby Brains (2004) offers a more kid-friendly spin on the superadvanced-baby story. Grades K-2. --Gillian Engberg

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Beach Lane Books (August 31, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1442401672
• ISBN-13: 978-1442401679
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 10.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,949 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #24 in Books > Children's Books > Education & Reference > Careers
  • #34 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Family Life > New Baby

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Laugh out loud funny August 27, 2010

By J. Prather TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

This is one funny book that will be a welcome treat to both parents and brothers and sisters with a new baby in the house. Much like when you watch a good stand up comedian, timing is everything, and this book has it down to a tee. This is laugh out loud funny, from the sight of the baby in his business suit onesie to the descriptions and illustrations showing baby's business meetings. The humor is spot on and makes this a great choice for story time where it is sure to get laughs from both the kids and parents! It's also a good choice for one on one if you've got an older child who's wondering how come baby all of a sudden gets all the attention. This will be a great way to share a laugh about it together. Recommended.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A HUGE HIT! October 17, 2010

By jill

Format:Hardcover

As an elementary school librarian who just returned from maternity leave, I chose to read this to the students my first week back. It was a huge hit and we can't stop laughing and talking about it. The pictures make the book. It was fun to show the details with the Elmo and laugh about the executive bouncy seat office that the baby sets up in the middle of his parents' house. Our favorite page was the baby's perk page: the lounge, baby spa, executive gym, drinks made to order, as well as the private jet! We hope this makes the Mock Caldecott cut!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is one darling, hilarious book that families with a new baby are certainly going to appreciate! October 9, 2010

By D. Fowler TOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

As soon as the baby arrived he was ready to take over the house. His tie was flapping in the breeze and his face was very stern as he grabbed his briefcase and started up the stairs. From the moment his parents laid eyes on him, "it was obvious that he was the boss." His briefcase was open wide and a schedule that wouldn't quit was laid out for them from one end of the room to the other for them to learn. His "office" was his walker "right smack-dab" in the living room. He had his baby monitor on his right and supplies like a rattle and bottle on the left. His face showed that he meant business. BIG business!

He was bossy, indignant, and oh so moody. If things didn't go his way . . . well, have you ever seen anyone having a fit? He had lots of "meetings" with his parents, parents who had puzzled looks on their faces, made goofy smiles when he yelled, looked totally perplexed at times, and scratched their heads when he flayed around on the changing table. And then there were those middle of the night meetings that some people didn't appreciate. Of course there were "plenty of perks" for someone so powerful. It was such a great life being a boss baby, but one day something unusual happened. Try as he might, no one was responding to him. What was happening with his employees?

This is one darling, hilarious book that families with a new baby are certainly going to appreciate. Of course anyone who has had a new boss baby come into the house will honk with laughter at this baby's antics. Every new baby really is the "boss" and dominates their household. Every experienced parent will roll their eyes as they watch this little boss twist his parents right around his little (very little) finger. Older siblings will enjoy this little rascal and will most likely get the giggles when they see him in action. The artwork is bold, brassy, and definitely makes a statement about this little king of his castle. If you have a new little one in the house or have a friend or relative who has one on the way, this is one book you just might want to have on your list!