Baby Goes to Market

Baby goes to market strapped to Mama's back in this engaging new picture-book from Nigerian expatriate author Atinuke, creator of the wonderful Anna Hibiscus stories. As they progress past various stalls, his changing moods strike a chord with the vendors, each of whom gives him a treat. Enjoying this largesse, Baby samples each food item, before storing it in the basket on top of Mama's head. As her basket grows heavier, Mama begins to think that Baby must be very hungry...

With a gentle sense of humor, and a warmhearted feeling of mother-son love and community-wide affection, Baby Goes to Market is a pleasure to read. Young listeners will enjoy being in the know, as Mama remains oblivious to Baby's doings, imagining until the very end show more that he must be very hungry, when he has in fact been eating all along. The artwork by illustrator Angela Brooksbank, also an expatriate West African, is colorful and appealing, capturing Mama and Baby's sweet expressions, and the vibrant excitement of a busy market. Recommended to anyone looking for fun new picture-books about going to market and/or about mischievous babies. Also recommended to anyone in the market for a story-based introduction to the idea of numbers and basic subtraction, as baby always eats a portion of what he is given, and puts a portion in the basket. show less

A funny and adorable book about a baby going to a market and picking up more than their mommy was expecting to carry back home. It's cute and silly, allows for counting interaction if desired, and presents an enjoyable mommy/baby outing! Love the emphasis on community!

Fantastic. Restores my faith in the dream of world harmony to see wonderful stories that just happen to teach us Americans (and others, I assume) about some aspects of the life and culture of many ppl of Nigeria (and of other African countries, I imagine). I love the author's Anna Hibiscus chapter books and everything else by the author, too.

The counting down and simple arithmetic concepts are presented engagingly, too.

I would absolutely use this in the public schools, at any level. Might be nicely paired with "Galimoto"
by Karen Lynn Williams, a favorite of mine when I was in teacher-training.

A colorful and funny book about a curious baby. A great introduction to the Nigerian marketplace and African food.
I would use this book to introduce another culture along with counting numbers and sharing in the humor of this baby's adventure.

After reading the No. 1 Boy and the Firebird to my six year old granddaughter, I decided to see how she liked other books by this author. This is our third read together and she loves the story line, the colorful illustrations and anticipating what comes next as we turn the pages. This, and the other books by this author are great ones to engage and expand younger kids imaginations.

Baby and mama head off to the market, baby on mama's back, a basket on mama's head. As they walk through the market, different vendors give baby little gifts – 6 bananas, 5 oranges, 4 biscuits, 3 sweet corns, and 2 pieces of coconut. Baby eats one of each of these, making for even more fun counting and math. The illustrations are fun, textural, and colorful. The words are lively!

I love how this book mixes humor and culture into a fun silly story!