Common Sense Media Review
By Jan Carr
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Very funny picture book imagines new baby as demanding boss.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
In THE BOSS BABY, a baby wearing a serious suit-and-tie onesie arrives in a taxi and takes charge of the household, putting Mom and Dad on a grueling schedule with no time off. He sets up his office in the middle of the living room and calls endless meetings, "many in the middle of the night." Though he can't even talk, he's "entitled to plenty of perks" that include a spa (baby bath) and executive gym (baby play gym). But one day when he makes a demand, his workers (parents) are collapsed sleeping on the couch, so he crawls over and says "Ma-ma? Da-da?" They rouse themselves and hug him happily, thrilled to hear his first words, but there's still business to attend to. The Boss Baby scoots away in his wheeled walker because "he was the boss of it."
Is It Any Good?
Anyone who's ever lived with a baby will relate to the bleary-eyed parents and laugh along in this very funny book that wrings humor from taking the baby's behavior to the extreme. In real life, babies may sometimes feel like cruel bosses, but the baby in The Boss Baby actually is one, complete with briefcase and home office. In both the text and art, the humor's in the detail. The Boss Baby calls "meetings," and doesn't allow his parents "time off."
Author-illustrator Frazee says she drew visual inspiration from the TV sitcoms of her youth, and this family and décor look mid-century modern. A gooseneck lamp overhangs Boss Baby's 1950s-era toys. The family's white, composed of a mom with a perky ponytail, a dad wearing an argyle vest and saddle shoes, and baby. A squishy family hug ends the book on a warm note, and though there's no sibling character, the book will be funny for older sibs as well.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the baby in The Boss Baby. Do you have a younger brother or sister? Does he or she act this way? Do you think you acted this way when you were a baby?
Does the art look like the story takes place today? What details in the pictures look modern? What details look old-fashioned?
What's the funniest part of the story?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Marla Frazee
- Genre : Picture Book
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Beach Lane Books
- Publication date : August 31, 2010
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 4 - 8
- Number of pages : 40
- Available on : Paperback, Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : June 23, 2023
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