So Much - Softcover

A baby boy is showered with love from his relatives as the clan gathers for a celebration in this exuberant picture book. The baby waits at the window with Mom, not "doing anything... nothing really," when, one by one, family members ring the doorbell and make a grand entrance. Auntie Bibba wants to squeeze the baby, Uncle Didi wants to kiss him, Nannie and Gran-Gran want to eat him and the baby's cousins want to fight him-all because they love him SO much. Once the house is "full, full, full," Dad walks in-and gets a real surprise. Cooke's (When I Grow Bigger) bubbly language works perfectly with her cumulative structure to take full advantage of the excitement and suspense of each new arrival. She also occasionally adopts African American dialect ("He flip-flap him over till he nearly drop him"), which may prove to be a slight stumbling block for some. Vibrant gouache paintings capture all the warmth of this close-knit group and realistic details of their clothes and mannerisms give the characters added life. Oxenbury (We're Going on a Bear Hunt) balances bold full-page portraits with transitional black-and-white spot art, modulating the flow of the joyous proceedings. Ages 3-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

PreSchool-Grade 1?A toddler and his mother are perched on a couch, doing nothing really, when "DING DONG!" the doorbell rings, and in comes Auntie Bibba, arms out wide, wanting to squeeze the baby "SO MUCH!" After the three of them settle in, Uncle Didi arrives wanting to kiss the baby "SO MUCH!" By the end of this cumulative tale, told in a sort of Caribbean patois, the urban dwelling is filled with loving family waiting for the child's father's surprise party to begin. One young cousin expresses his affection for the baby by wanting to "fight" him so much, but the illustrations make clear that he is really just rough-housing. Oxenbury's dynamic, exaggerated representations of this exuberant black family are humorous and filled with action. The black-and-white line drawings beneath the large-print text are more successful than the full-page, full-color gouache paintings with which they alternate, as the latter border on caricature. Nonetheless, the rhythmic text and oversized format will make this a fun read-aloud.?Anna DeWind, Milwaukee Public Library
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.