Darcy and Gran Don't Like Babies

Cutler, Jane

ISBN 10: 0590445871 ISBN 13: 9780590445870

Publisher: Scholastic, 1993

Synopsis

Charcoal and watercolor illustrations enliven a spunky tale of a little girl who is upset by the arrival of a sibling but who learns to accept her sister after a long talk with her grandmother.

About this title

Reviews

PreSchool-Grade 2-Acknowledging that babies are not necessarily all bundles of joy, a perceptive grandmother helps Darcy accept her new brother. Reassuring and right on target about children's feelings.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

With skillfully understated humor and peppy dialogue, Cutler ( Family Dinner ; No Dogs Allowed ) gives an inventive, compassionate twist to a common situation. The opening lines, set underneath a picture of joyous parents playing with an infant, say it all: "Darcy didn't like the baby." She doesn't care for his looks, nor for his smell, and she articulates her feelings to one and all. But everyone seems to have a rebuttal; her mother states that the baby is just like Darcy was a long time ago, and her father assumes that she will like her sibling better when he is older and can do more things. Only Gran has a comforting response: "Me neither. . . . I never did like babies." On a visit to the playground (where none of the many babies present get in their way) the sage grandmother subtly helps Darcy sort out her ambivalence about babies in general--and about one interloper in particular. Reinforcing Cutler's convincing characterization is Ryan's (illustrator of You Don't Need Words! and Baby Songs ) endearing charcoal and watercolor art, which ably suggests the spunk that Darcy has clearly inherited from Gran. A winning choice for any child--even those without a baby to contend with. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Like many newly upstaged children, Darcy isn't much interested in her baby sibling, for the familiar reasons: his smell, his attention-grabbing ways. But she has an unusual ally: a grandmother who sums up her own dislike for babies in similar terms. After an outing when they swing and enjoy other activities unsuited to babies, Darcy can begin to imagine a time when she won't mind--might even like--her new brother. Ryan's pictures add some gleeful mischief, especially in the park scenes; and while Gran is given to understatement, there's reassurance in her gestures and expressions. But the layout flounders when an entire dialogue is illustrated with the two sitting silently; and though the sentiments are good-hearted, the repetitive phrasing feels forced. In a crowded field, with such treats as Henkes's Julius, Baby of the World available, an acceptable additional offering. (Picture book. 3-7) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Ages 3-6. This funny picture book about sibling rivalry is unequivocal about a small girl's furious sense of displacement and misery. Darcy doesn't like the baby; she doesn't like his smell, and she doesn't like his looks. Ryan's cartoon-style artwork in charcoal and watercolors exaggerate the small girl's grief and anger as she tries to get attention away from the baby. Then Gran arrives; she dislikes babies, too, and loves doing things with Darcy. Quietly, she helps Darcy accept her feelings about the interloper and imagine a time when they'll all have fun together. The bibliotherapy works because the simple, rhythmic story tells a complicated truth about our jealousy and longing. Hazel Rochman

Edition details

• Publisher: Scholastic
• Publication date: 1993
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0590445871
• ISBN 13: 9780590445870
• Binding: Library Binding
• Illustrator: Ryan Susannah
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 1