Common Sense Note
One by one, with musical repetition, Trish Cooke introduces family members assembling for a joyous birthday gathering. Helen Oxenbury's big, beautiful paintings dance and glow with deep, rich color.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Robyn Raymer
This tale is told from the point of view of a sweet butterball of a boy about eighteen months old, with red overalls and kissable little bare feet. This observant tyke notices how each relative plays with him in a different way.
His strong young uncle lifts him up and "flip flap him over till he nearly drop him," his grandmas yoo hoo to him and tease that they want to gobble him up, and his Cousin Kay-Kay, who's about eight, bursts in the door brandishing make-believe pistols and proceeds to wrestle with the delighted toddler.
Oxenbury's gouache watercolors are painted in lovely deep shades of red, brown, maroon, purple, and orange. She brings each family member to life as an intriguing individual. The baby's pretty mom, wearing a short, elegant white dress and high heels, seems a shade quieter than the rest of her family. Hipster Auntie Bibba sports a striped shirt, tight leggings in a psychedelic multicolored print, hiking boots, and a necklace with a huge letter B.
Uncle Didi is tall, lithe, and laid-back in sweat pants and a sleeveless undershirt. Daddy, handsome in a dark suit, sets down his briefcase to sit on the floor and hug his baby against his scratchy beard. He seems pleased but slightly embarrassed by the surprise party.
This is clearly a loving family: In every scene, someone has an arm draped around someone else's shoulders. The last picture--Mom and Dad gazing at their sleeping boy--is sweet without being saccharine.
For another favorite illustrated by Oxenbury, try The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig. The Grandad Tree is another family story by Cooke.
Plot Summary:
Everybody loves the plump little baby--"SO MUCH!" When family members come to visit they can't resist squeezing him, kissing him, tossing him up on their shoulders, and dancing him around. His cousin wrestles with him, and his grandma says she wants to eat him up! A joyful read-aloud about a black family whose members delight in one another's company.
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