| ________________
CM . . .
. Volume XXIII Number 5. . . .October 7, 2016
excerpt:
Highly Recommended. Michelle Superle is an Assistant Professor at the University of the Fraser Valley, where she teaches children’s literature and creative writing courses. She has served twice as a judge for the TD Award for Canadian Children’s Literature and is the author of Black Dog, Dream Dog and Contemporary, English-language Indian Children’s Literature (Routledge, 2011).
To comment
on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.
Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal
use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any
other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
Next Review | Table of Contents For This Issue - October 7, 2016 |
Anyone who’s spent time around babies—and their immediate, all-consuming needs—will appreciate Kate Beaton’s hilarious new picture book, King Baby. With its simple text, King Baby is accessible to most readers. Toddlers and preschoolers (1-3 years) will enjoy hearing it read aloud as the visceral descriptions are entertaining. New readers (4-6 years) will enjoy mastering the repetitive yet fresh vocabulary. New parents will enjoy Beaton’s tongue-in-cheek commentary on parenthood and gentle jabs at attachment parenting philosophy. 
The narrative focuses on “King Baby’s” progress from newborn to toddler. He is preoccupied by his many wants and needs while his parents rush to dance attendance. King Baby’s self-absorption and determination will be instantly recognizable to all those in the company of infants; framing them as royal whims lends humour to the stage of human development that caregivers find most exhausting. A surprise ending keeps the tone light and entertaining, a tone which is further supplemented by Beaton’s charming, cartoonish illustrations.