Customer Reviews

What Baby Wants

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My 4 yr. old daughter, 5 yr. old son and I love reading this book. They love to immitate the baby crying and are facinated with some of the "made-up" words. They love to be asked, "Is that what baby wants?" and get excited because they really know what the baby wants. This book made me feel like a kid again.

My 5 year old son and I love this book. He is just starting to read and at first "read" the Waaaaah parts while I read the rest. He has started to read more of the book and is using memory and his site reading words to read with me. He also identifies with the little boy as he is the brother to a 4 month old sister. The boy should be called a big brother instead of little though.

I borrowed this book from the library for my almost three year old, and we read it so much, and renewed it, that finally I had to buy my own copy. Toddlers love reading stories about babies! It is also very rhythmic, and eye catching illustrations.

Suitable for a wide range of lower age groups. Delightful, full colour pictures, and plenty of them. Both my kids (2 and 5) request this book over and over again. Full of animals, relatives, and some nonsense words to keep them laughing.

Phyllis Root's "What Baby Wants" is as good as it gets in picture books for very young ones. It is funny and heart-warming, visually hilarious, and features a young "hero" who understands more than all the older folks in the story. The set-up is simple and the execution outrageously funny for kids: why is baby crying and what does he want? Everyone in the family tries something: a lullaby bird song? - drag a whole tree full of birds into the house; a soft, wooly blanket? - bring in a whole flock of sheep; a good-night kiss? - bring in a large, slurpy cow. Even infants and toddlers realize the silliness of these efforts, but they also go along with the suspense of waiting to see what will actually work. This was a staple in our library when our young ones were very young and we give it as a gift whenever we have the chance.

Mama is tired after a hard day's work on the family farm, so she goes off to bed and leaves Baby in the care of the rest of the family. Baby soon starts to cry, and family members scramble around trying to figure out just what it is that baby wants. In vain, they bring him gifts found around the farm (hilarity ensues) until Little Brother finally finds the answer...

We too found this gem in the library and it has become a favorite. The plot is simple and repetitive enough for my 2-year-old to comprehend, and the text contains fun nonsense words that capture her attention. The illustrations of the animals are divine but what I really adore is the family running around barefoot on the farm. Somehow this story just brings out my Appalachian accent when I read it, and I'm proud of that.

It's a very sweet and tender book - I think you can see that from the cover illustration - and is perfect as a bedtime story for any child, but also for little ones with new siblings. The reading level is marked 4-8 but as I said earlier the simplicity and repetition do make it highly appropriate for earlier ages. My daughter is just 2 and it's a perfect fit.

My kids (3yrs & 5yrs)just love this book. We've checked it out multiple times from the library and renewed it again and again. They love to listen to it over and over again and delight in the pictures and the repetition. This is one for your personal collection.