Bibliographic
Data
Fox, Mem. 2009. Hello, baby! Ill. by Steve Jenkins. New
York: Beach Lane Books. ISBN: 9781416985136
Brief
Plot Summary
The reader playfully
asks a child if they are various animal babies. The story lovingly concludes
that the child is the parent’s treasure and indeed the baby is.
Critical
Analysis
True to Mem Fox’s
style Hello Baby has several early literacy skills to practice, truly a
strength of this picture book. It is optimal for ages 0-5 although older
children would surely show insult at the assertion of being a baby.
Two types of rhyming questions repeat
through the story:
“Are you a (animal and action)?”
“Perhaps you’re a
(animal and action).”
Rhyming is a story
helps develop phonetic awareness in children. The repetition builds
anticipation for the verses that follow and ultimately the ending.
Another early
literacy skill Hello Baby develops is
vocabulary. Children will learn not only vocabulary of animals, like the word
gecko, but also verbs not in everyday conversation, like twitching.
(great vocabulary)
Each page features
Jenkins’ close up illustration of the animal and a full body silhouette. His
style is consistently simplistic, similar to a logo, except the colors are dimensional
textures.
(Observe the silhouette)
(Jenkins’ textured illustration of a
zebra)
The loving ending of
this book concludes with the question: “Are you my treasure?” and the
reassuring answer, “Yes!” A faceless illustration of hands reaching for each
other surely brings emotional depth into print motivation, another preliteracy
skill.
There are no cultural
markers in this title. However, Mem Fox is an Australian author qualifying this
title as international literature.
Awards/Best
Books
Charlotte Zolotow
Award, 2010 Highly Commended United States
Children's Catalog
Supplement to Nineteenth Edition, 2009 H. W. Wilson Company
Choices, 2010
Cooperative Children's Book Center
Kirkus Book Review
Stars, April 1, 2009
Publishers Weekly
Book Review Stars, February 2, 2009 Cahners
Review Excerpt(s)
“Vivid swaths of
color and texture capture elephant wrinkles, crinkly gecko skin and even
warthog whiskers. Fox's original language offers equally strong depictions of
wildlife.” - Kirkus (Kirkus
Reviews, April 1, 2009 (Vol. 77, No. 7))
“Fox's newest has all
the marks of a lap-sit classic.” - Publishers
Weekly
“Handsome paper
collage art captures the menagerie of creatures, boldly presented on white
backgrounds, while the deceptively simple text makes the most of a few
well-chosen words.” - CCBC
(Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 2010)
Connections
Illustrator, Steve
Jenkins Official Website
Information about
this title via Mem Fox’s official website
Read other books by
Mem Fox like Hattie the Fox if you
want to continue a theme of animals as it takes place on a farm and features
repeating text. Ten Little Fingers and
Ten Little Toes if you want to continue on a baby theme.
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