Please, Baby, Please FROM OUR EDITORS
The Barnes & Noble Review
Director and producer Spike Lee, with his wife Tonya Lewis Lee, team up with award-winning artist Kadir Nelson in this playful glimpse at one day in the life of a rambunctious toddler.
Through scenes that show an angelic, ringlet-haired baby being mischievous at different times of the day, an exhausted parental voice pleads with the tyke to stay out of trouble. When the clock hits 3:00 a.m. and the text calls, "Go back to bed, baby, please, baby, please," the frolicsome toddler is sitting on her sleeping mom's tummy, ready to play. At 7:45 a.m., "Not on your HEAD, baby baby baby, please!" shows her (of course) dumping a bowl full of cereal over herself, and later, at 12:30 p.m., the tot is shoveling sand into her mouth as the voice entreats, "Don't eat the sand, baby baby baby please." These shenanigans go on throughout the day, but at 10:00 p.m., a tired baby is done with trouble when she asks gently for a kiss goodnight, "Mama, Mama, Mama, please."
The Lees and Nelson have put together a right-on picture book that speaks to parents but will also have children laughing. The rhyming text changes and flows like a smooth melody, wonderfully complementing Nelson's oil illustrations, which give us snapshots of the antics from various angles. The girl herself will have readers cooing over her sweetness and groaning over the trouble she causes, and they'll feel assured that all is well at the end with Mom's tender kiss. A winsome read that's perfect for reading aloud and sharing. Matt Warner
ANNOTATION
A toddler's antics keep his mother busy as she tries to feed him, watch him on the playground, give him a bath, and put him to bed.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
From waking the entire house at five in the morning and wearing breakfast on their heads to making giant waves in the bath and refusing to go to sleep (without one more kiss), toddlers are always full of energy and surprises. Academy Award-nominated director and producer Spike Lee and his wife, Tonya Lewis Lee, recall some of the "surprises" that came with raising their own two children in this exuberant picture book that's perfect for family sharing. The Lees personally chose acclaimed artist (and father of two) Kadir Nelson to illustrate this book, and the resulting work -- a daring combination of warmth and vibrant color -- explodes with all the energy of childhood (and concludes with the patience, understanding, and unconditional love of being a parent).
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Many grownups will recognize the title as the comic carnal plea uttered by Lee (as Mars Blackmon) in his 1986 film, She's Gotta Have It. Now, the filmmaker and his wife/co-author, who have two children, have turned those words into a G-rated parental entreaty-directed at an inexhaustible toddler. "Go back to bed,/ baby, please, baby, please./ Not on your head,/ baby baby baby, please!" The large typography seems to writhe in vain supplication. The cherubic toddler, whose chocolate ringlets circle her head like restless electrons, tests her parents' patience in myriad ways, and Nelson (Just the Two of Us) has a knack for picking just the right angle. For the first of his handsome, burnished-toned acrylic spreads, readers share a toddler's eye-view. In the foreground are the feet of the prone, exhausted mother, a plastic ring from a stacking toy hanging from her left big toe, as a very wide awake baby plays horsey on her stomach. The clock on the VCR reads 3:01 a.m., and a bedtime video playing on the TV clearly makes no impact whatsoever. A tantrum when it's time to leave the playground, plus a chaotic meal and bath occasion other imploring phrases from the parents, whose presence Nelson suggests with just a foot or an arm outstretched to the youngster. But at book's end, the tables are turned: "Kiss me good night?/ Mama, Mama, Mama, please," says the girl, standing in the doorway of her mom and dad's room. The final wordless picture, a loving embrace, leaves no doubt of who loves this baby. Ages 2-5. (Nov.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
School Library Journal
PreS-K-At 3:01 a.m., an exhausted parent begs a riled-up youngster to "Go back to bed, baby, please, baby, please." At a quarter to eight, the plea is for the child not to dump cereal on her head. Throughout the day, the toddler is asked to share a ball, eat some peas, and sleep tight. Baby is asked to not eat sand, be a tease, or splash. After being put to bed at 8:00 p.m., she comes into her parents' bedroom two hours later and asks, "Kiss me good night? Mama, Mama, Mama, please." The litany of pleas will strike a chord with parents and caregivers, and will amuse children with its repetition and rhyme. Bright, full-bleed illustrations evoke the child-centered mayhem of this frazzled yet loving family. Baby, with her caramel-colored skin and corkscrew curls, sometimes appears unnaturally proportioned, her head too large and her limbs contorted, but the overall effect is humorous and action-packed.-Anna DeWind Walls, Milwaukee Public Library Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Parents and caregivers will recognize the ritualistic pleading that takes place when spending the day with a toddler. Sounding like a broken record, a mother pleads with her daughter to share her toys, eat a balanced meal, and finally go to sleep. As she plays on her mother's tummy, up way past her bedtime (the clock radio shows 3:01 a.m.) her mother pleads, "Go back to bed, baby, please, baby, please." When she dumps the contents of her breakfast, "Not on your HEAD, baby baby baby, please!" Each page features an impish grin and impossibly beautiful eyes peeking out from under a tangle of perky curls, but the angelic expression does not change the fact that this little one is all devil. A tiny clock records the time of day at the beginning of the line of text on each double-paged spread, but it's the rambunctious tot who captures all of the focus. Vivid illustrations of this African-American family full of love and patience for their strong-willed daughter will evoke laughter as the parents attempt, with mixed results, to guide their charmer's behavior. Sure enough, the closing line turns the tables as the little girl asks for a kiss, ". . . Mama, Mama, Mama, please." Richly colored and meticulously detailed paintings highlight the tiny, but determined imp with curls that literally spring from her head. The repetitive text, sunny illustrations, and entirely familiar scenarios will make this a favorite of parents and children alike. (Picture book. 1-4)
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