  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 05/01/2015 Baby-Toddler—A baby is crying in the middle of the night. Her parents, grandparents, sister, brother, and neighbors do everything they can think of to make her stop. Roy, the dog, knows the answer all along, but no one is paying attention, and his repeated barks only add to the din. The humorous cumulative text invites participation, as each person's attempt ends with the refrain "But the more they tried, the more that baby cried…W-A-A-A-A!" Yelchin's mixed-media illustrations are fun and full of life. The characters have the look of watercolor cutouts, arranged on top of vibrantly colored, swirling, painted backgrounds. What the baby wants is her toy lamb, a solution that children will predict from the beginning of the story. Child readers will love being in on the joke, identifying with Roy and an equally perplexed mouse as they try to help the clueless humans. Beautifully composed, each page propels the story to a climactic spread filled with hula hooping, magic tricks, juggling, soap bubbles, and music! With everyone else busy, Roy is finally able to deliver the toy to the baby, who smiles and falls asleep, at last. VERDICT The only tears shed at bedtime will be ones of laughter when families are reading this delightful book.—Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA - Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 08/01/2015 *Starred Review* On the title page, a pooch perks up his ears—a hint that the peaceful scene on the next spread of a moonlit block awash in dreamy blues is about to explode. On this quiet street, “a not-so-quiet baby cried . . . W-A-A-A-A!” The retriever, Roy, is first to arrive cribside in this clever, rhyming cumulative tale that uses plenty of repetition and pleasing onomatopoeia. “Bark! Bark!” says the dog, fetching the baby’s toy lamb. When the father and mother run to the baby’s room, they dismiss Roy; the brother and sister come next to change the baby’s diaper and tickle her: “P-e-e-u-u-w-w! Peek-a-boo! Hush, hush! Rush, rush!” Yelchin’s watercolor, cut-paper illustrations are on saturated, nighttime-blue backgrounds, while the wakeful baby’s room is always a sunny, bright gold. “The more they tried, the more that baby cried” is the refrain as adults attempt to calm the baby. Meanwhile, on sunny pages festooned with cheery-looking lambs, Roy tries again and again to soothe the baby with the toy, and when he finally gets his chance, the relief is palpable. “Good boy, Roy!” With irresistible refrains and one hilariously expressive dog, this pitch-perfect tale will make a raucous read-aloud. - Copyright 2015 Booklist. Loading...
 |