You're the Boss, Baby Duck! [Hardcover]

Amy Hest (Author), Jill Barton (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1997 | Age Level: 3 and up

When Baby Duck becomes jealous of her little sister, Hot Stuff, Grandpa knows just what to say and do. Amy Hest and Jill Barton, the creators of In the Rain with Baby Duck and Baby Duck and the Bad Eyeglasses, tell another warm and funny story full of familiar feelings for everyone in the family. Full color.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreS. With the same pizzazz she displayed in In the Rain with Baby Duck (1995) and Baby Duck and the Bad Eyeglasses (1996, both Candlewick), Baby Duck now struggles with second-child syndrome. Her parents, completely taken up with the new sibling, Hot Stuff, are totally unaware of their older child's left-out feelings. Once again, Grampa comes to the rescue and makes Baby Duck feel good about herself, allowing her to accept her new sister. The fact that Baby is the older sibling may confuse some youngsters, but they will relate to Barton's generous images and soft colors. A predictable story in the sibling-rivalry genre, the book can be used with Kevin Henkes's Julius, the Baby of the World (Greenwillow, 1990), Martha Alexander's When the New Baby Comes, I'm Moving Out (Dial, 1992), Brigitte Weninger's Will You Mind the Baby, Davy? (North-South, 1997), and Carol D. Shields's I Wish My Brother Was a Dog (Dutton, 1997); for those seeking an alternative, Tomie dePaola's The Baby Sister (Putman, 1996) features a child looking forward to the new baby's arrival.?Barbara Elleman, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564026671
• ISBN-13: 978-1564026675
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 10 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,898,304 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Amy Hest's many acclaimed children's books include the New York Times bestseller Kiss Good Night. A three-time winner of the prestigious Christopher Award, she lives in New York City.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Pass this baby duck by!, September 7, 2000

By 

traderJoe "margaretkb" (NY, NY United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: You're the Boss, Baby Duck! (Hardcover)

I first discovered the Baby Duck series with Amy Hest's delightful book, "In the Rain with Baby Duck". My toddler loved that book and we read it over and over. Having just had a new baby, I ordered "You're the Boss, Baby Duck" with high expectations of a similar experience. What a disappointment! While it captures how an older sibling may feel left out, it was very negative towards the new baby. I kept waiting for the part where Baby Duck bonds with the new baby and discovers how great it is to have a little brother/sister. Instead, by the end of the book, Baby Duck decides to let the baby stay "for a couple of days" so that she could boss her around. What kind of message about sibling love is that supposed to be sending? If you've just had a new baby in your house, I recommend "Arthur's New Baby" by Marc Brown instead. It effectively captures a child's jealousy in a much gentler way and has a much happier resolution.

Pass this Baby Duck book by!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cute, like the rest, March 29, 2002

By 

Shardovan (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: You're the Boss, Baby Duck! (Hardcover)

I'm writing this review mostly to counter-balance the review below, which is pretty harsh. The book is cute, like the rest in the series, and this one does a good job of reassuring older siblings that they won't be forgotten because of the fuss over the new baby. I don't think it's really worth five stars, you understand, but I don't think it should get an average of only one, either. Frankly, any book that (1) amuses my son, and (2) doesn't have me trying to skip pages to get to the end is OK by me. Honestly: three stars.

2.0 out of 5 stars Baby Duck - the unlucky ducky, July 6, 2004

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: You're the Boss, Baby Duck! (Paperback)

I sense a pattern in these here "Baby Duck" books. Inevitably the storylines run along these general lines: Our hero (Baby Duck) has some kind of childlike problem, be it anything from new glasses to going to school for the first time. After dealing with this problem in her own way and failing to illicit any real help from her parents, Baby Duck is inevitably reassured/guided wisely by her Grampa. The end. Kids like repetition and consistency, a fact that I have to assume contributes to the continual popularity of the "Baby Duck" series. Though a fine bunch o' books, I have to admit that I find them more than a little dreary. If you're a steadfast Baby Duck fan, then I have little doubt that this particular offering, "You're The Boss, Baby Duck" will live up to your expectations. If, on the other hand, you've been reading similar tales by such great children's book authors like Kevin Henkes or even David Small, then I'm afraid you're bound to wind up a little disappointed.

Baby Duck is not pleased. There's a new baby in the house and nobody is paying any attention to our heroine. Babies, after all, aren't much use and Baby Duck is filled with jealousy. This isn't really her fault, though. Her parents are acting particularly negligent on this day in question, not even pausing a moment to hear their eldest child read to them. Fortunately for Baby Duck the family has gone to visit with Grampa. The wise elder sees his granddaughter's frustration at the new baby's presence. After some quickie counseling, Baby Duck attempts to show off and play with her little sibling. To her delight the baby (unlike her parents) responds to everything she does. The book ends with Baby Duck towing her sister in a wagon singing that maybe the baby can stay two more days, "But Baby Duck is boss".

A couple things. First we have to deal with Baby Duck's songs. I did some quick checking on this tale and this book was not originally published in another country. I say this because there was no getting around the fact that Baby Duck's song lyrics simply do not rhyme. I'm all for free verse, but it seems to me that if you write a song of four lyrics that scans perfectly, it should rhyme. Then I thought, "Wait. Maybe the author is making a clever play on how little kids will constantly sing songs that rhyme only in their own heads". I was willing to give author Amy Hest some points for this idea, up until I hit Baby Duck's last song. Which rhymes. It may not seem like a big deal to you, but I'm a stickler for inconsistency ESPECIALLY in kid's books. If you're going to be consistent in any one medium, be sure it's in children's literature.

But that's a pretty petty complaint. So I'll go one better. Amy Hest may well be an accomplished writer, but this is not the book to use to discover her. The phrase, "You're the Boss, Baby Duck" doesn't really fit in with the rest of the story. The characters are stock to the point of cardboard cutouts. The one thing I found original in this tale was Baby Duck's glasses, and that was a leftover from a previous adventure anyway. Jill Barton's illustrations are all well and good. She's especially good at bringing to Baby Duck's eyes a glare of detestation towards her little sib. There are cute little touches that pop up throughout this tale, including baby Hot Stuff's casual overboard tossing of her pacifier. Still, these illustrations can't save an otherwise bland tale.

There are plenty of places to go for I'm-Jealous-Of-The-New-Baby books. My personal favorite is "Julius, Baby of the World" by Kevin Henkes. I suggest you take a good long look at the selections out there and purchase one of them instead of the nice, but ultimately blah, "You're the Boss, Baby Duck". If you want a book that is comforting and doesn't challenge young readers in much of any way, this is an excellent choice. If you'd like something a little less run-of-the-mill and a little spicy, try the aforementioned "Julius" or (even better) Charlotte Voake's, "Ginger". Why settle for less?