Bad Baby

First we totally fell in love with the wonderful illustrations and humor in ANOTHER PERFECT DAY, then my son and I busted a gut with the laugh out loud funny BAD BABY. We cracked up at everything from the look on Jack's face when he's scorched by kid sister's noise in peek-a-BOO to Jack getting shoved in the face with a giant size babyspoon full of liver and spinach sludge. My son loved it so much he packed it in his backpack to share with friends at school.

All about the trials and tribulations Jack has with his baby sister. What's great is that the text is written neutrally - you could almost think it's praising the sister except, of course, that it's not. I would not, of course, recommend this book for any child apprehensive about an upcoming addition to the family. Might make them even more nervous, especially the scenes where the oblivious grown-ups call Jack's sister "cute" even as she destroys his things. Though really, if you couldn't figure that out by the title of this book...!

Even though young Jack's life is just about perfect, he still feels that somehow something is missing -- maybe someone to play with? Then his new baby sister arrives much to his delight. But then his baby sister starts turning Jack's world upside down with a mischievousness that his parents appear to be totally oblivious too! It seems that having a baby sister is a lot more work than Jack had ever expected. Young readers ages 3 to 7 will thoroughly enjoy Ross MacDonald's simple and engaging story so wonderfully enhanced by his colorful artwork. Bad Baby would make a very welcome and popular addition to family, school, and community library picturebook collections for young readers.

What do they mean 'for ages 4 to 8'? Keep the kiddies' hands off this one! This book is a golden dreamscape gone crazy that adults will love as much as children. Ross MacDonald is simply the best illustrator around--I've been known to tear his illustrations out of magazines to save the always hilarious yet somehow also poignant, vintage-looking pictures. There's something about the warm glow in his illustrations that recalls a 1930s illustrated magazine, but you look a little closer and realize there's a very hip and very funny mind at work behind the drawings. Who else would call a kids' book BAD BABY (besides every kid)? This is his best book yet.