DON'T EAT THE BABY
by Amy Young ; illustrated by Amy Young
They’ll eat him up they love him so. Or so this new big brother fears.
Tom would be the first to admit that he’s not a huge fan of his new little brother, Nathaniel. “The Blob”, as Tom calls him, spends most of his time pooping, sleeping and crying. Though relatives inform him that someday he’ll have fun with his little bro, Tom remains skeptical. Yet for all that the baby is a time suck (sometimes it’s like no one even notices Tom anymore), he is terribly perturbed whenever a visitor meets Nathaniel and comments that they’d like to nibble, bite, eat or otherwise nosh on him. All this comes to a head at a party for the new baby when Tom decides he needs to take drastic steps to ensure that his new little brother remains undevoured. What could come off as creepy ends up being rather touching thanks to the wordplay at work. Simple acrylic paints set just the right tone for this tale of a newly protective sibling. And scenes of realistic baby-based chaos (a living room flooded with baby stuff) will ring true with both parents and siblings, whether veterans or new at the job.
Who would have thought that threatened cannibalism could yield such a sweet and original little read in a market glutted with new-sibling stories? (Picture book. 3-7)