WILL IT BE A BABY BROTHER?

Bunting, who’s known for her ability to artfully explore troubling issues, touches here on a lighter topic. A new baby is imminent, and Edward knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that he wants and will have a little brother, preferably named James. Edward watches the preparations and is not pleased that all the gifts are in non-decisive yellow or white. As his parents try to persuade him that a sister might be nice, Edward is adamant: “I’ll give her to Aunt Elizabeth.” Meanwhile, Edward also makes ready, and he fills the crib with toy cars and a baseball mitt. But when the baby comes home, Edward’s heart melts and he can’t help kissing his baby sister. The watercolor hues are baby-bunting tepid, but the lines are fluid and depict family closeness. Sweet and simple, this joins a handful of sibling-on-the-way books—including But I Wanted a Baby Brother, by Kate Feiffer and illustrated by Diane Goode (2010)—that traverse the same topic and extend, with great wit, beyond the new baby’s arrival. (Picture book. 2-6)