BERNARD WANTS A BABY

Childhood Education, Spring 2007 by Arnold, Merritt M

Goodman, Joan Elizabeth BERNARD WANTS A BABY. Il. by Dominic Catalano. ISBN 1-59078088-4. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press, 2004. 32pp. $15.95. A young elephant named Bernard has very specific demands about the baby he wants to join their family. The baby must not cry or spit up or be a sister. Bernard wants a brother, who will be named Max. Baby Max does arrive, but so do two newborn sisters; Bernard has triplet siblings. Not only do all three new babies cry and spit up, but they also pee-pee, poop, and take up too much room in Mama's lap. This is a classic story of an older child learning to share his home and his parents with his new siblings, whom he eventually learns to accept. The illustrations are elaborate, colorful, and tell their own entertaining background story, although they are inconsistent with the writing on a couple of pages. The flow of time near the end of the book is a little choppy, but the book is still an excellent resource for parents who need to prepare their children for new arrivals. Ages 2-5. Reviewed by Merritt M. Arnold, University of Georgia, Athens

Reviewed by Merritt M. Arnold, University of Georgia, Athens