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A baby who gains enormous strength from avocados defends his weakling family.

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babyhomer Both scare off burglars

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9 reviews
My son is perfectly portrayed by this baby. He had the same exact problem. However, the only exception was the fact that my baby only nursed and NOTHING else. If I were in the mother's position, I would've given the baby absolutely everything to get him to eat. It reminded me of Popeye and his spinach super strength. It's a good way to get children to eat their vegetables!
Avocado Baby by John Burningham tells the story of the Hargraves family's new baby. The Hargraves hoped the new baby would not be as weak as they were. However, when they brought the baby home, the baby did not like the food or want to eat much of it. Then, when Mrs. Hargraves feeds the baby an avocado pear the baby becomes unbelievably strong. It became so strong it could pull other children in a cart, carry the shopping, move furniture, and even stop a burglar.
The author's writing differs from page to page. On some pages the author uses complete sentences in the form of a short paragraph. While on other pages, the author starts the sentence on one page and finishes on the other. I noticed tat this style of writing gave the story a show more "fast paced" feeling.
The author also never reveals the baby's name or gender. The baby is referred to as the baby, or it throughout the story.
The illustrations are sketches, with many straight lines, simple shapes and also many colors. The illustrations help the reader to imagine a baby doing things babies are not strong enough to do. Also, the illustrations revealed when the book was written. For example, in one scene on the mother's bed is a telegram, next to an older looking crib.
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½
Avocado Baby is a humorous story focused on a baby whose parents hoped he would be born big and strong. Unfortunately they began to realize the baby was not very strong and didn't like to eat much of anything so he became very weak. Soon after the babies parents were feeling helpless they found something the baby couldn't get enough of- Avocados! The baby began to eat avocados everyday and he became very strong. The baby become so strong that he was able to fight off bullies, burglars, and anything that came his way! Although the story is fiction, i feel as if it shares a subtle message- always eat your vegetables.
The baby of Mr and Mrs Hargraves was not very strong until... he discovered avocadoes. Then his amazing strength allows him to foil burglers, help carry the shopping, move furniture, push the car when it would not start, and even take care of bullies in the park who are being nasty to his older brother and sister.
Avocado Baby is a book about a family called the Hargraves, and they were expecting a baby. The only problem is that the Hargraves are such a weak family and they do not want their new baby to also be weak. The baby came but it would not eat and was weak like the rest of the family. Finally the other children suggested to their mother that she should feed him the avocado pear. So she did, and the baby ate it all up. Suddenly the baby became so strong that he even ran a burglar out of the house. He beat up bullies, and this was all because he ate avocado pears.
½
A baby who gains enormous strength from avocados defends his weakling family.
All about a baby born into a weak family but who eats avocado and becomes incredibly strong. A child has added a less than neat inscription inside the front cover. It reads 'Harrys bum' without apostrophe. The book has been folded in half by someone - possibly the Harrys bum perpetrator - and it sports a massive crease as a result.

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108+ Works 8,137 Members
John Burningham was born in Farnham, United Kingdom on April 27, 1936. After two and a half years of non-military service as a conscientious objector, he graduated from Central School of Art with distinction in 1959. Before becoming a children's author and illustrator, he made puppets for Yoram Gross's animation film Joseph the Dreamer and was show more commissioned to produce a number of posters for London Transport. Burningham's first picture book, Borka: The Adventures of a Goose with No Feathers, was published in 1963 and won the Kate Greenaway Medal. His other books included Humbert, Avocado Baby, Oi! Get Off Our Train, Courtney, Harvey Slumfenburger's Christmas Present, Come Away from the Water, Shirley, England, Cloudland, France, and There's Going to Be a Baby written with his wife and fellow illustrator Helen Oxenbury. He also illustrated Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in 1964 and Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows in 1983. He received the Kate Greenaway Medal in 1970 for Mr. Gumpy's Outing, the Kurt Maschler award in 1984 for Granpa, and the Booktrust lifetime achievement award in 2018 with Oxenbury. Burningham died on January 4, 2019 at the age of 82. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

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Common Knowledge

Canonical title
Avocado Baby
Original publication date
1982
Original language
English

Classifications

Genres
Children's Books, Picture Books
DDC/MDS
823.914Literature & rhetoricEnglish & Old English literaturesEnglish fiction1900-1901-19991945-1999
LCC
PZ7 .B936 .ALanguage and LiteratureFiction and juvenile belles lettresFiction and juvenile belles lettresJuvenile belles lettres
BISAC

Statistics

Members
270
Popularity
119,027
Reviews
7
Rating
(3.88)
Languages
English
Media
Paper
ISBNs
13
ASINs
5