JaNay Brown-Wood is an early childhood professor and the author of
several books for children, including Imani's Moon and Grandma's
Tiny House. She also contributed to the poetry anthology Thanku-
Poems of Gratitude. Much of JaNay's work is intended to celebrate
casual diversity, primarily featuring black characters. JaNay lives
in California.
Elissambura is a freelance artist and has illustrated books for
children, including Alligator Seder. Elissambura lives and works in
Argentina. www.elissambura.com.ar
♦ Naptime in a busy house, where the baby has finally fallen
asleep, means staying quiet, and it’s not easy with so many people
around! Dante needs to fix the wheels on his toy truck, Shae needs
to set her curls, and the neighbor, Mr. Young, needs to mow his
lawn. Will the baby be able to maintain a quiet slumber? Or will
the noises made by others create an awakening? For families with
young children, “Shh, the baby’s asleep!” is a common refrain,
frequently repeated throughout this delightful book. Short, rhyming
couplets present the story in a sing-song fashion that will please
preschoolers, who will want to mimic the many sounds that emerge
throughout the narrative. This book expertly captures the fine line
between wanting to get things done while the baby sleeps but also
ensuring a docile environment. Mixed media illustrations give the
images a collage-style effect and include vivid jewel tones and
myriad patterns throughout. Dynamic angles increase the feelings
of uncertainty as each new sound threatens. The characters in this
story are multigenerational, depicted with dark skin and curly,
textured hair; each person has a unique appearance yet all easily
comprise a loving family. VERDICT Accessible and engaging, this
tale can be used in story-hour settings, and will find a home on
most shelves.
—School Library Journal, starred review
Members of an extended family shush one another to try to keep the
baby asleep. The baby is laid in the crib, “finally asleep,” and
Mom creeps out of the room, cringing at the creaking of the floor.
The narrator, an older sibling, joins her as she finds Daddy and
shushes him. The child and Daddy then find Grammy and shush her.
Grammy helps shush Pop Pop, and the cycle continues until all
siblings, pets, and even the neighbor have been shushed. Each
character is engaged in some activity that isn’t inherently loud
but, in the context of this humorous scenario familiar to many
families with babies, adds to the suspense: Which innocent noise
will wake the baby? As the string of effort is pulled along,
readers feel the family’s roller coaster of emotional states, from
desperation to frustration to exhaustion and finally relief. The
text is composed of playful rhyming couplets, with sound effects
hand-lettered in all-caps crowding into compositions as if they
have lives of their own. The colorful, stylized illustrations add
to the book’s playful tone, lending a tense energy and a sense of
barely controlled chaos to this Black family’s humorous plight.
Delightful comic relief for every household with a baby.
—Kirkus Reviews
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