NO NO, BABY!
From the Baby Animals series
by Anne Hunter ; illustrated by Anne Hunter
Exuberance can’t be tamed for long.
Baby Squirrel awakens each day full of vim and vigor. The little one loves greeting the other forest animals, eating, and leaping through the air—often to the other creatures’ chagrin. Baby Squirrel is undeterred by Bear’s “No no, Baby!” when they try to eat a mushroom and by the bird’s “No, no!” when Baby Squirrel hungrily eyes a nest full of eggs. When Baby Squirrel attempts to visit Owl’s tree-trunk home, an exhausted Owl yells, “No no, Baby! Go away!” Chastened, Baby Squirrel retreats to their hole and stays away the entire next day. When the animals seek out Baby Squirrel, they tell the little one how much they’ve been missed, and Baby Squirrel promises to see them in the morning. The day resumes, and so do all of Baby Squirrel’s joyful leaps. It’s a gentle story—one that’s greatly enhanced by the ballpoint pen and colored pencil illustrations—but perhaps one whose message may be too soft. While Owl hands Baby Squirrel a flower when they visit, there’s no apology, nor is there a discussion of respecting boundaries and personal spaces. It’s a shame because both are important lessons that need to be reinforced in young readers to help them learn and grow. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Beautiful but shaky.
(Picture book. 4-6)