Please, Baby, Please

I read this book and I hear Spike Lee in my head. This is a very good thing for a celebrity author. So often celebrity authors sound like they’ve been ghost written. This does not sound that way. Between the repetitiveness and the change up of the “please baby please” line the other thing that is done well is the simple concepts. The illustrator does a masterful job illustrating the words that show different points in a very busy toddlers day. The illustrations are amazing. I love how the illustrator did the curly hair. I just really liked everything about this book. I think it’s well done. I think it’s entertaining. I think it’s memorable and I think it goes way beyond the celebrity in the author.

I really enjoyed Spike Lee’s story “Please Baby Please” for multiple reasons, from the engaging, well-paced writing, and the illustrations, to the realistic characters. In the story the author takes us through a day with an active toddler, and her seemingly overwhelmed parents. The story is told chronologically (from morning to night) and is written in a very well paced and engaging style. Lee uses short, simple sentences, and repeats the phrase “please, baby please”, as the toddlers parents attempt to get her to cooperate throughout the day. This element adds to the realistic nature of the story. The illustrations also add to the story because the images reflect real situations that occur with toddlers from getting cheerios show more all over them, to writing on the walls, and the bubbly, wet mess that comes with bath time. The characters are extremely believable because they behave in a way that is true to real life, from the hyper toddler, to the tired parents pleading with the child for cooperation. This is a wonderful story that brings to the forefront the struggles that comes with parenting a young child. The big idea is that although raising a toddler has its challenges, the love between the child and parents makes it all worthwhile. show less

This is an adorable book that would make a sweet gift for a new parent, or a parent of a toddler.
The illustrations are phenomenal, and the font appearance is fun, but I can't quite figure out the rhyme scheme or rhythm, so I actually find the story itself a little frustrating-- it doesn't just naturally flow.
BUT EVERY SINGLE CHILD who I've read this with has LOVED it! And actually, the mismatched rhyme scheme made the kids actually have to read the words rather than merely memorize the word sequence!

The mischievous character is very engaging, the artwork is incredibly well done, and it's a great representation of non-white characters.

This book tells the story of raising a child and all that comes with it. Throughout the story, the parents are constantly pleading with thei daughter to do a certain task. For example, she plays on her mother’s tummy, up way past her bedtime (the clock radio shows 3:01 a.m.) her mother pleads, “Go back to bed, baby, please, baby, please.” When she dumps the contents of her breakfast, “Not on your HEAD, baby baby baby, please!” Each page features an impish grin and impossibly beautiful eyes peeking out from under a tangle of perky curls. A tiny clock records the time of day at the beginning of the line of text. Vivid illustrations of this African-American family full of love and patience for their strong-willed daughter will show more evoke laughter as the parents attempt, with mixed results, to guide their charmer’s behavior. Sure enough, the closing line turns the tables as the little girl asks for a kiss, “. . . Mama, Mama, Mama, please.” The big picture is that kids are not easy to raise. It takes patience, love, and hard work to raise a toddler. These parents show that at times, children are not all sweet and cuddly. show less

Picture this: Mom and Dad are in bed and their baby girl crawls in and wants up. "Go back to bed, baby, PLEASE baby, PLEASE!" What parent hasn't experienced the 3:00 in the morning “can’t go to sleep playtime, a bowl of cereal dumped all of the head, crayon drawings all over the wall, the screaming friend who won't give back the ball, eating sand at the playground, and of course giving you a dandelion. Every scene mimics every parent's adventure in parenthood. This could turn into a series illustrating all of the frustrating elements of families lives as the child goes to preschool, then to elementary school, middle school, and finally high school. Nelson uses such delightful expressions on the children's faces that you know you show more could never stay mad at them for long. The pages are filled to the edge with realistic pictures in bright, brilliant colors. Children will love turning page after page because they will certainly identify with nearly every scene depicted. As a teacher I appreciate being able to promote a book including a black family doing every day normal routines in a familiar setting. It’s about normal families. I’m glad race didn’t matter. Highly recommended. Ages 2-5. show less

I'm always extremely wary of celebrity authors (have you ever tried to read Madonna's picture books?) but my husband liked the artwork in this one and bought it for my son. Who is 13 months and adores it. Adores. He asks me for "baby" about 10 times a day. He especially likes the page where the little girl is dumping "noodoos" (noodles) on her head. While it isn't my favorite, it gets a solid 3 stars for not being terribly written and being popular with my toddler.

I love, love, love this! As the hours of the day pass, Baby's mother begs her to behave. Kadir Nelson's illustrations perfectly capture the independence of this little girl, as she follows her own path through the day, not going to sleep, eating her peas, or sitting still in the bath.