Babies Don't Bite by David Bedford and Tor Freeman
| Babies Don't Bite by David Bedford and Tor Freeman | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Ruth Ng
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| Summary: Good for toddlers who are a little nervous about the approaching birth of a new sibling! | |
| Buy? Maybe | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 32 | Date: February 2012 |
| Publisher: Hodder Children's Books | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1444903522 | |
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Hegley the pony is excited. His mummy is having a baby! His friends, however, don't seem to share his excitement...their mums are all having babies too, but they know that babies just mean trouble!
First his friend tells him that babies pull tails, but on his way home Hegley meets ten baby rabbits, nine baby guinea pigs and eight baby kittens, none of whom pull his tail. Next he's told that babies bite, but again on his way home he meets some babies to play with, none of whom bite him! When his little baby sister finally arrives he feels a bit shy, but having met so many babies he knows how to behave with a baby, so he gently nuzzles her nose and she nuzzles right back. He and his friends all discover that the best thing about babies is that they love their big brothers and sisters to bits!
The story works nicely being both about new babies as well as having a counting aspect to it since each group of babies that Hegley meets counts down from ten to, finally, his one baby sister. I liked Hegley's excitement about the new baby, even in the face of his friends' overwhelming grumpiness about the upcoming births! I did sense, however, that there is some misleading going on in the story since babies do have a tendency to pull hair from time to time, and I've known a few to bite as well, so although reassuring I'm not sure the story is entirely truthful! I also didn't really like the wording on the final page where it reads babies are fab. I know it's a very common contraction, but I would have preferred the full 'fabulous'.
The illustrations are fun, although it helps if you don't mind farm animals wandering around in human clothes - I know a few friends who wouldn't enjoy this story because of that! But I personally liked all the little baby animals in their romper suits, and some of the illustrations reminded me of Richard Scarry's style of illustrating. Hegley's friends all look wonderfully teenager-ish, slumped and grumpy over the news of their new siblings! I also really love the picture of Hegley's mum sitting in an armchair with her feet (hooves!) in a pair of cosy looking socks and a mug of tea at her side!
It's definitely worth borrowing from the library as a fun read, but there are other excellent books about new siblings that you might prefer to buy so have a look first and see what you think!
For more sibling discussions try Chloe, Instead by Micah Player and There's a House Inside My Mummy by Giles Andreae and Vanessa Cabban
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You can read more book reviews or buy Babies Don't Bite by David Bedford and Tor Freeman at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
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