Squeakily Baby by Beth Webb
| Squeakily Baby by Beth Webb | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Sue Magee
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| Summary: A gentle, soothing book for bedtime. It will help to remove the frustrations that parents often feel when they have a baby who can't get to sleep. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 28 | Date: November 2022 |
| Publisher: Golden Scale Media | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1916459946 | |
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Much as mothers love their babies, there's something they all dread - a squeakily baby. He's so tired but he can't - or won't - go to sleep: instead, he just lies on his blanket and wails. The sea offers to help. It rocks Baby gently and the waves sing hush, hush. Think of gentle wavelets falling onto a sandy beach and you have the sound perfectly. The mermaids join in - la lou, la lay... And for a moment it seems to have worked as Baby closes his eyes. Then a seagull shouts and we know exactly what's going to happen next.
Next, Baby's Moses basket is put in the tree, amongst the ripening apples: Rock a by baby in the tree top is sung softly to him. The leaves rustle, the birds sing and the soft wind strokes his cheek. Baby's thumb slides gently into his mouth as his eyes close. This time it's a butterfly who lands on his nose and wakes him. Cat has been watching and purrs that Baby should be given to him but no one believes that he can do anything. Cat plays and Baby laughs - and then he works his magic.
It's a lovely, gentle story, perfect for bedtimes, even if you haven't got a squeakily baby to deal with! But if you have, it's not unusual for the parent to feel frustrated or even cross with the child, which makes the situation worse. Babies sense how you're feeling - and they react. Squeakily Baby helps the carer to take a different, more calming approach. There's the gentle humour of the parent's best intentions being thwarted by a seagull and a butterfly and it being Cat who saves the day - or the night. Children are going to love that - but you might be faced with demands to get a cat from older toddlers. The story is soothing: even at many multiples of the age of the target audience, I found myself smiling and relaxing as I read. It's an excellent opportunity for carer and child to bond, to wind down together.
The artwork is delightful and perfect for this lullaby of a book. There's plenty to look at, to discuss but not so much that it's going to stimulate Baby's mind. This is going to encourage sleep. The range of colours is best described as muted and completely appropriate for bedtime. In fact, I think I might have a short nap, myself...
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy of the book to the Bookbag.
For another bedtime book, we can recommend Do You Speak English, Moon? by Francesca Simon, Ben Cort and Lenny Henry.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Squeakily Baby by Beth Webb at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Squeakily Baby by Beth Webb at Amazon.com.
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