________________ CM . . . . Volume V Number 17 . . . . April 23, 1999

cover This New Baby.

Teddy Jam. Illustrated by Karen Reczuch.
Toronto, ON: Groundwood Books (Distributed by University of Toronto Press), 1998.
24 pp., cloth, $16.95.
ISBN 0-88899327-7.

Subject Heading:
Infants-Juvenile fiction.

Preschool-grade 1 / Ages 4-6.
Review by Helen Arkos.

* /4

excerpt:

This new baby
sleeps in my arms
like a moon
sleeping on a cloud
like apples falling
through the rain
like a fish
swimming through a sky
inside picture Although in picture book format, This New Baby seems to be aimed at the new parent/grandparent market. The illustrations, capturing the subdued tones of the night, are lovely to look at, and the title seems to indicate a sense of wonder at a new life in the family. But a buyer taking the time to read the scant verse walks away perplexed! How is a baby sleeping like falling apples? And why "apples falling through the rain"? Some of the attempted similes are simply comic. "This new baby opens his eyes...like two dogs smelling for a bone" !?!

      The premise of the book is of a mother staying up through night caring for her baby. She is joined by her husband and older child at sunrise. "My new baby's cry chases old ghosts back into the shadows" seems to give the impression of the mother having had this baby to try and save a rocky marriage. Ultimately, we're not quite sure why she stayed up smiling serenely all night long.

Not Recommended.

Helen Arkos is the teacher-librarian at John Pritchard School in Winnipeg, MB.

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.

Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - APRIL 23, 1999.

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