“Mischief abounds in this comical board book about a day in the life of a family with a baby, children, and animals. First, if you think it is the baby that makes a whoo-hoo sound while you are trying to sleep, guess again! Instead it is the owl outside the window perched on a branch in the dark night. Oh no, there is writing on the wall! If you think it was the baby, guess again. Instead it is the baby’s sister with a crayon down the hall. When a piece of cake goes missing do not blame the baby. The crumbs make it clear that it was a mouse. The dog gets his muddy paw prints all through the house, the bird gets out of the cage, and the cat spills the milk. A great big slurp is heard followed by a burp and that in fact is the baby in his crib with a bottle. Charming and colorful illustrations bring this silly board book story to life. Young children will love to listen to the rhyming words and laugh at the funny events that happen in this family.”—Kristen Bowman
INSIDE
It's Not the Baby
Who is making all the mischief in this house? It’s not the baby! Short rhyming lines in this board book pose a toddler-appropriate whodunit and expressive art shows the true culprits. Little ones will chime on the repeated title refrain and will delight in the surprise ending—when of course—it finally IS the baby.
retail your price $9.99
INSIDE
It’s Not the Puppy
Who is making all this mischief? It’s not the puppy! Short rhyming lines in this board book pose a toddler-appropriate whodunit and expressive art shows the true culprits. Little ones will chime on the repeated title refrain and will delight in the surprise ending—when of course—it finally IS the puppy.
retail your price $9.99
It's Not the Baby
Who is making all the mischief in this house? Short rhyming lines in this board book pose a toddler-appropriate whodunit and expressive art shows the true culprits. Little ones will chime on the repeated title refrain and will delight in the surprise ending.
READ REVIEWSPRICE
Complete Series of 2: your price $19.98
“A board book with great potential for interaction between a baby and the reader who shares it. From one spread to the next, text poses observations and questions that are answered with the titular refrain, “it’s not the baby.” Accompanying pictures provide context and invite readers to point to key elements or to verbally identify them in response to the text. For example, the third double-page spread reads, “Who just tiptoed in to take frosting off the birthday cake? / It’s not the baby.” The accompanying illustration shows a grinning mouse gripping a hunk of brightly frosted cake in its front paws. Other animals and one white preschool-age child make similar mischief throughout the book, until the final spread when the white baby depicted on the cover reappears and is identified as the one who made “a great big slurp followed by a giant BURP.” “It IS the baby,” concludes the text as characters from the prior pages look on with wide-eyed expressions. The digital art uses bright colors to attract the eye and employs a cartoon style befitting the playful text, though the busyness of the pictures indicates an older toddler rather than infant audience. I-spy reading fun for little eyes. (Board book. 18 mos.-3).”
“A sly little number. They’re rare, but once in a while you may have the pleasure of encountering a board book that has a twist ending. When you find those books, grab them. Keep them. Hold them close and tight and never let them go because they are going to save your sanity when you have to read infinite numbers of titles on cold snowy days. And in 2017, this is their natural born leader.”—Elizabeth Bird
“ The big-eyed pup on the cover of this board book is obviously a scamp and quite possibly to blame for all sorts of mayhem—or maybe not. Each page shows a different character engaged in some activity, often mischievous, that might be expected from a dog, but the picture and text clearly indicate otherwise. The actual culprits are not named, and not all are animals. They include a bunny, raccoon, cat, and three children. Young children will quickly pick up the refrain, “It’s not the puppy?”—the proper response to the unobtrusively rhyming question posed on each left-hand page. The language is clear and direct: “When he waves his furry tail, / who knocks down the garbage pail?” The lively, cartoon illustrations include plenty of related details—flowers in the garden where the bunny digs, flies buzzing around the garbage can a raccoon has raided. Unfortunately, the pictures of children tend to reinforce gender stereotypes with what appears to be boys having active roles—tracking in mud while chasing a ball and practicing “doggy paddles in the tub.” The only child textually identified by gender is a girl hiding from thunder. The final picture is of another, less-fearful pigtailed child waking to “a big wet kiss surprise… / it IS the puppy!” All children depicted have brown skin and curly black hair. Don’t expect kids to pause to identify the mischief-makers or talk about the pictures, at least at first—do expect a request to “read it again.” (Board book. 1-3) ”