In this book, we learn about how even though there are many different species in the world, we act very similar. Whether it is a baby girl, baby boy, baby puppy, baby kitten, sloth, whale, or duck, each baby needs a mother's love and care. All mothers love their babies best and that goes for any species. This book teaches that lesson well and in a creative and colorful way. ( )

An entertaining text in rhyming verse is paired with quirky illustrations in this charming picture-book celebration of animals babies of all kinds, from human to tiger. "Babies can be smooth or hairy, / quail or whale or dromedary. / Babies can be one or many, / lots and lots or hardly any," the narrator begins, going on to describe the many ways that babies play and interact with their patient (but very tired!) parents. The book concludes: "Babies muss and fuss and cry - / but they grow up, by and by. / And what awaits them when they're grown? / Beastly babies of their own!"

Although I picked up Beastly Babies largely because it was illustrated by Brendan Wenzel - I enjoy his multimedia artwork, with its idiosyncratic sense of humor (those hilarious but emotionally expressive google-eyed characters!), and its adept use of color - I ended up enjoying the book as much for its sing-song rhyme as for its visual art. The combination of the two would make this a wonderful title to share during story-time, especially with younger children. Recommended to fellow fans of Brendan Wenzel - with the recommendation that, if they have not already done so, they look at Some Bugs and Some Pets, which he illustrated in the same style - as well as to anyone looking for fun children's stories about animals and/or babies. ( )

Read on September 29, 2015

Cute rhymes about animal mommas and their babies. The illustrations are clever with funny details for little ones to discover (or just for parents when the wee ones are still to little to get it). Ten month old Evie just wanted to practice her nice hands on the animals -- these ones didn't run away from her like Darcy. ( )

"Beastly Babies" is a very enjoyable poetry book about all the different kinds of animal babies/mothers. It goes through different animals' characteristics and presents them in a positive light through rhyme. "Mama robin brings a treat, slugs or bugs or something sweet. baby twitters, 'Give me more! I got three, but she got four!'" is just one of many examples of rhyme through this book. its illustrations are very unique, aesthetically pleasing, and consistent throughout. Its simplistic rhyming language makes it ideal for younger readers (K-2). I appreciated its message of the different kinds of animal mother/babies and how they all share one thing in common - love. From my own experience, children LOVE learning about animals, so from the get-go I knew this book would be engaging and appealing. It lived up to its hype in this way. There's no complicated point-of-view or style of writing. In my opinion, it has all the elements of a great poetry picture book. ( )

Recommended from Shelf Awareness, July 2015

Brightly colored illustrations capture the wildness of many kinds of baby animals; the rhyme scheme makes for a fun read-aloud rhythm. ( )