A humorous look at becoming a big brother to a noisy, smelly baby. The illustrations are laugh-inducing, and the words describe the situation perfectly. ( )

The main character is told that he is going to have a new baby sister. When she arrives, he wants to show her all of his favorite things and tell his favorite joke, but she ignores him. The new baby cries often, and sometimes she smells funny. He starts to wonder what is so great about babies, but then learns how to play with her. ( )

brother gets a baby sister and at first he doesn't like her but eventually he realizes that he loves his baby sister.
2 book

The New Baby by Marcer Mayer is one of the Little Critter books. I enjoyed this book because it teaches kids about new baby and that you have to be careful with them but they can still be fun to have in your family. In this book the main boy is learning how to play with his new baby sister. His mom explains to him the things baby like and can do. "Mom says we can cuddle her and rock her to sleep. We can tickle her tummy and make her laugh or give her a rattle to play with." The pictures in the book are very detailed but do not have to much going on, the illustrator makes it clear on what the reader is to focus on. the story is very cute and sweet. ( )

I enjoyed this book simply because it introduces the idea of gaining a new sibling as a child and the aspects that go along with it. New beginnings and changes are evident throughout this book, which tends to be the theme or overall message. The character represented is excited to meet the new member of the family, but seems as if he does not know what the baby is capable of. Mercer Mayer, the author, exclaims, "I got out my ball and bat and my favorite games to show to the baby." Little does he know, the newborn baby does not know how to play with those toys. He quickly realizes this and starts to read his favorite picture book out loud to the baby, where she did not pay attention to him and chose to cry. Later on, Mayer included, "Mom says we can cuddle her... and rock her to sleep." After being introduced the concepts of a baby sibling, he grasps that he can take the baby for a walk, where his friends think about how lucky he is. On another hand, the facial expressions of the character tell a story themselves. For example, when he questions, "What can you do with a new baby?" his face looks curious and confused on what to do. Or when he gives the baby a rattle to play with, he closes his eyes as that is a natural instinct of someone. Readers are able to recognize what it is like to become an older sibling through Mayer's words and illustrations. ( )