Review by Booklist Review
It's hard to wait for a new baby to arrive! To help the older sibling, Dad explains the baby's growth using fruit and vegetable size comparisons, and the child imagines life with a baby brother. Humorous illustrations show the child interacting with each item. A baby brother bean, tiny, green, and sporting a snazzy sweatband, may enjoy jumping or running. A purple grape may join the family at a sporting event, and a small pumpkin might go trick-or-treating. Mom's size is growing in the pictures as well, as time passes and the seasons change. Sometimes the child expresses anxiety: a brussels-sprout- or onion-sized brother might be smelly or even make the child cry! Although the fruits and vegetables are always imagined as a brother, the concluding twist reveals the new sibling is actually a baby sister. The family is thrilled with the new addition, who, it turns out, is more fun and much easier to cuddle than an avocado.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2--Using tangible equivalents that children will understand, the brown-skinned narrator of this charming picture book offers a stage-by-stage, step-by-step report of her new sibling's growth. "Dad says my brother is a teeny tiny poppy seed." So the girl knows she has to wait. Then, "My brother is a grape," so she can take him to a game where she is a spectator (and the grape is smiling) but she doesn't want him to be as squishy. There is a comparison to an onion, Brussels sprout, pumpkin, and watermelon, but the best flip, beyond the worrisome avocado brother, is that it's a baby sister who comes into the narrator's life. This is a joyful look at the horribly long wait for a new baby, here taking place in the home with a white father, brown mother, and loving sister. The seasons pass in bright illustrations that render complications large and small, none of them insurmountable and all of them leading up to that big surprise. VERDICT A great book for story hours, and ideal for helping families awaiting their own new bundle.--John Scott
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A family eagerly awaits the arrival of their newest member. At first, Dad tells the young narrator that the still-unborn little one is a poppy seed. Adult readers will realize he's referring to the baby's size, but the soon-to-be-big-sibling takes it literally and smiles at the prospect of carrying the baby around everywhere--unless he gets blown away in the wind. Next, the little brother is a bean. But what kind? Jumping or jelly? Later, he's a Brussels sprout, so not everyone will like him (and he may get blamed for funny smells). Then, he's a lemon, probably with a big smile and lots of dimples. Soon he's an avocado--a nerve-racking prospect, since "he could be really hard or soft and mushy." When the time comes, the new baby isn't as Dad described (in more ways than one). This charming tale brings a cute metaphor for pregnancy gestation to adorable life. Readers see the protagonist interacting with various food items, each of which sports a little face, while, in the background, Mom's tummy grows bigger. The older sibling's enthusiasm is infectious, and the anticipation builds with each food item. Toward the end, Ismail depicts all the foods lined up for a handy, quick reference. The cartoon-style watercolor-and-ink illustrations are earnest, with just the right hint of impish glee. Mom and the narrator have dark brown skin and hair, while Dad is lighter-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Too fun! (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
