Will It Be a Baby Brother?

I really enjoyed the book “Will It Be a Baby Brother?” This book deals with the anxiety that a lot of children go through when their family is expecting a new baby. The author uses very short, simple sentences that would appeal to young readers. For instance, “My mom is having a baby. I hope it’s a boy like me” and “Mom has a book of names. I helped her pick out our favorites.” This keeps the book very easily comprehensible, and also allows the voice of the main character, a little boy, to shine through the text. The illustrations in the book use very soft, pastel colors, which adds to the loving mood of the story. I also like how the illustrations vary from chaotic and messy to simple and loving. This highlights the many show more different emotions that the family goes through such as anxiety, excitement, and joy. For instance, on one page the little boy is running around, making a mess, with a toilet seat on his head. But then, on one of the following pages, it is simply the little boy gazing down at his baby sister with nothing else on the page. The experience that the family goes through in the story is very realistic and relatable. The big idea of the story is that the chaos leading up to having a baby is all worth it once the baby is born. show less

Does Edward get the baby brother he is so desperately hoping for? No, but

"Mom was right. I did get the kind I wanted all along - even if i didn't know it."

Not the humorous "I can't stand the new baby!" book that we see so often. Will It Be a Baby Brother? is a sweet story of a lovable boy who has room in his heart for the new sibling - even if it is a girl.

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Edward and his family are very excited to be expecting a new member of the family. Edward wants to have a baby brother bad and nothing can change his mind. He sets up for a baby brother by telling his grandmother to use blue yarn to knit a blanket and puts all his "boy" toys in the new baby's crib. He wants everything to be blue and to name his baby brother James, and everyone tries to explain that in the end he will be happy with a brother or sister. This would be a great book to read to kids expecting a new sibling. It will teach them how to handle the situation and show them they will still love the baby rather its a boy or girl in the end just like Edward does. Many children go through the stages of only wanting certain genders and show more they should be taught that every baby is a blessing. I like how the book had a good amount of dialogue so the reader is able to understand the characters personality better. The illustrations are cute and keeps the readers entertained. This would be a great book to read before doing a family tree craft. show less

43 months - O pulled this one off the shelf at the library and I laughed... What are the odds... As we just found out we are having a boy. Even funnier is that the little boy in the story is exactly like my daughter... He wants a boy, she wants a girl neither gets what they are hoping for. She like the boy in the story has talked about leaving her baby sibling at someone's house and who is mentioned in the story "Aunt Elizabeth"... I sent my sister (our Aunt Elizabeth) a snap shot of the page because it was such a funny coincident. We all enjoyed this one.

Will It Be a Baby Brother is a story about a little boy, Edward, who desperately wants the baby his mother is about to have to be a boy. When asked about the names, Edward hopes that they have a little "James." He has plans for what he will do with his baby brother and has plans for what he will do if the baby turns out to be a little girl. Throughout the book his mother and father tell Edward that he will fall in love with the baby right away, regardless of whether or not it is a boy or a girl. Does Edward get a little brother after all?

This book did a good job at showing the excitement not only parents have of their expectant child, but how excited siblings are to have a new baby sister or brother.

Edward really wants a baby brother even though his mom tells him he will love whichever sibling that he gets. In the end Edward realizes that his mom was right, even though he wanted a brother he loves his sister just the same.
Ages 3-5
DuPont Library