Review by Booklist Review
Starring an imperious infant in a Wall Street-worthy, suit-style onesie, this farcical picture book has fun with the ubiquitous jokes that the baby is the boss in any household. The tot lays down the law from the minute a taxi drops him at his parents' door. With a giant briefcase in tow, the tyrannical executive schedules round-the-clock meetings (diaper changes and feedings, as the pictures reveal) until he grinds his beleaguered team into unresponsive exhaustion. How does he prod them back to work? With his first Ma-ma and Da-da, of course. Paired with perfectly timed, deadpan text, Frazee's artwork is as slyly comic and artfully expressive as ever, but all the business-world in-jokes, such as the spread featuring the baby's executive perks (including baby-bottle cocktails), feel targeted more toward weary parents than a picture-book audience. Even if they don't get every reference, though, kids (especially older siblings) may enjoy the silliness in the images as well as the underlying truths about how a baby's arrival changes a family. Simon James' Baby Brains (2004) offers a more kid-friendly spin on the superadvanced-baby story.--Engberg, Gillian Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In a perfect pick-me-up for both older siblings and bleary-eyed new parents, Frazee (All the World) hilariously parses their new status. The brilliant baby-as-boss metaphor drives the book from the start, as a baby strides in from his taxi, outfitted with a suit (complete with rear-end flap and pj-style "footies"), briefcase, and a permanent scowl. Caldecott Honoree Frazee milks this comparison for every possible laugh ("The funky thing was, he never, ever said a single word that made any sense at all"), and the baby's job perks include "the spa" (a bubble bath), "the executive gym" (he attempts a pull-up on a baby gym), and "drinks made to order, 24/7" (the baby sits at a red-checked table littered with bottles, demanding service with his finger in the air). Cartoon vignettes in pencil-streaked gouache hum with a funky, retro style seen in sleek furnishings and the '50s fashions of the accommodating but increasingly exhausted parents. Finally, when the baby's tantrums can't rouse them, he discovers a more effective management technique--"Ma-ma? Da-da?" Clever and empathetic, this book is an especially apropos choice for the baby shower circuit. Ages 4-8. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Boss Baby is here and he's just as capricious and demanding as any corporate CEO. From midnight meetings to made-to-order drinks, this little tyrant keeps his staff of two on the run until they finally pass out from exhaustion and fail to respond to his calls. He resorts to some out-of-the-box thinking and discovers two magic words that quickly bring Mom and Dad back to attention. Frazee's '50s-inspired pencil and watercolor illustrations set the tone, beginning with the cover image, where Boss Baby appears stern-faced in his suit-and-tie onesie beside a smiley-face rattle that has clearly failed to amuse. The author again proves her storytelling chops and her artistic genius in this tongue-in-cheek tale in which text and image overlap seamlessly to deliver a perfectly timed punch line. Parents and older siblings will best appreciate both the visual humor and the new-baby blues presented here. Offer this read-aloud to families experiencing their own infantile corporate takeover.-Jayne Damron, Farmington Community Library, MI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
A new CEO is in town, full of demands ("many, many demands") and organizing the place completely around his needs, wants, and temper tantrums. This boss from hell is a baby; resembling a pint-sized Richard Peck, he has Mom and Dad constantly on the run, "on a round-the-clock schedule, with no time off." The concept is cute and the execution witty and efficient, with an agreeably concise (and straight-faced) text allowing plenty of room for the pictures to deliver the punchlines. When the boss, suavely clad in a black romper and banker's rep tie, conducts his meetings-"lots and lots and lots of meetings"-we see him, successively, holding forth from his crib, pillow, high chair, and changing table, in the last instance kicking his feet and arms in an impressive display of self-righteous fury. The palette is retro-pastel, coolly shadowed with Frazee's calming black-crayon lines, and the climax, where the boss tentatively tries out language ("Ma-ma? Da-da?") brings pinky-brown warmth to the pages. Sure to be this year's baby-shower hit. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Sporting a black business-suit onesie, this baby looks and acts more like a balding CEO than an infant. He keeps his parents hard at work, calling endless meetings, demanding increases in output and scowling as his employees buckle under pressure. Nostalgic pencil-and-watercolor drawings recall mid-20th-century furnishings, clothes and hairstyles. This retro aesthetic serves as a perfect office space for the boss baby, who enjoys the perks of an old-school exec: a big desk (exersaucer), lounge (lambskin rug), spa (sink tubby), endless drinks (bottles) and a private jet (airplane swing). The parents' weak, watery eyes communicate a bottomless desire to please their tiny tyrant, who grimaces, growls and cocks his brow in dissatisfaction. Young readers will cackle at Frazee's reversal of power. Just when the boss baby borders on brutal, though, he employs new tactics to motivate the staff: "Ma-ma? Da-da?" The ecstatic parents jump with glee, ready for the next challenge. This wry picture book will appeal to parents, of course, but also to siblings who see a new baby demand so much of mom and dad's time and energy.(Picture book. 4-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
