Babies Ruin Everything - Hardcover

Swanson, Matthew

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1250080576 ISBN 13: 9781250080578

Publisher: Imprint, 2016

Meet the baby who ruins everything, and the big sister who learns to love him. Together, they make this laugh out loud picture book the perfect gift for new siblings and baby showers!

The baby can't stand on one foot.
He can't throw a Frisbee.
And he can't whistle! Even big-head Benny Hogarth can whistle, and he already lost his front teeth!

So says a spunky little girl who thinks her new baby brother is ruining EVERYTHING: wrecking her room, drooling all over her toys, and throwing a wrench in her birthday party plans.

But when she opens her heart, this big sister realizes she might be the real problem-the baby's just a baby, after all. Maybe all he needs is a better big sister.

Tall kids, small kids, and parents alike will laugh through this funny and sweet tale of learning how wonderful-and lucky-it is to have a new sibling.

An Imprint book

About the Author:

Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr are the author/illustrator, husband/wife duo behind Ten Thousand Stories (Chronicle Books, 2013) and more than 60 illustrated books for children and adults. They run two small publishing companies and a letterpress shop out of their home/barn/studio in Maryland, teach and speak on creativity and collaboration, and have three small-but-obstreperous children.

From School Library Journal:

PreS-Gr 2—This husband and wife author/illustrator team take on the familiar topic of adapting to a new baby in this humorous story. Told from the first-person perspective of a young girl sporting raven-colored pigtails, this book catalogues the many challenges that come with a new sibling. From the moment her dad wakes her up in the middle of the night to tell her she is about to be a big sister, the unnamed girl is completely opposed to this intrusion on her life. And things go downhill from there. Her baby brother demands all of her parents' attention and takes over her bedroom. Worst of all, she's expected to be nice to him. The girl finally loses her temper after her brother flushes the car keys, causing her to miss a birthday party. The following spread shows four close-up frames of the baby's face on the left, as he grows increasingly upset. On the right, four frames reflect the girl's increasing guilt at yelling at him. From here, the girl resolves to be a better sister, and the two of them prove to be a formidable team. Kids with younger siblings may identify with the protagonist's feelings. The lengthy text drags at times, but the work's eye-catching illustrations will be a big draw for children. The girl, her baby brother, her pet hamster, and her frenemy, Benny Hogarth, are drawn in a cartoon style with pen and ink on watercolor paper, while the adults and background objects are created digitally. VERDICT Nothing new here, but this is a fun read that can empower big sisters and brothers to make the most of their new family roles.—Kimberly Tolson, Medfield Public Library, MA

• Publisher: Imprint
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1250080576
• ISBN 13: 9781250080578
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Behr Robbi