Monday, July 10, 2017

Review: What Does Baby Want? by Tupera Tupera

9780714874074

When baby is hungry, neither his teddy bear, his ball, nor even his shiny tambourine will soothe him. This tribute to the nursing baby - and even more so, to the breastfeeding mother - will read as conventional to babies and toddlers but as taboo-busting to parents. Celebrate the natural magic of growing a baby with this simply worded, expertly illustrated, and shockingly honest shaped board book. Perfect for nursing babies, older siblings, and expectant parents. A sure-to-be favorite baby shower gift!

I kind of hate the phrase "normalizing breast feeding", because that implies there was something abnormal about it to begin with - but, you get the idea. While that is the obvious goal, the book isn't obnoxiously over the top or preachy - just a simple recognition that sometimes you're just plain hangry, or need a little comfort!

Even if you haven't read the description, it is pretty obvious from the shape (especially opened) what exactly baby is looking for. The pictures along the way of ball, teddy, etc. are bright and simple, a good choice for board books. Baby's expressions are easy to recognize, as he starts off smiling but gets increasingly unhappy, until he finally gets his point across to Mommy. The images of exposed breasts and then baby suckling may surprise some readers, who will then wonder why they were surprised. All the more reason to add it to the collection!

My only beef is the shape - while it fits right in with the theme, this is going to be a nightmare to shelve. In fact, when I first saw it advertised, I decided not to buy it for that reason alone.  The actual spine/binding is just over 2 inches long, and I am not sure how long that will last. We are also having to be creative with the spine label placement, because otherwise it will cover the entire title. I am hoping they will come out with a second version, if popularity warrants, with a round picture but squared-off outside cover.

No comments:

Post a Comment