Bebé Abubé. (Baby Abubé)
Reviewed by Mirthala Barragan, First Class Learning Center, Austin, TX -- Críticas, 6/15/2008
Blake, Stephanie.
tr. by Anna Coll-Vinent. illus. by author. Spain: Corimbo, dist. by Lectorum Pub. 2008. 34p. ISBN 978-84-8470-299-3. $17.99.
PreS-Gr 2–Simon the rabbit is upset at how his playtime has drastically changed since the birth of his little brother. He can’t make any noise whatsoever! The toddler wants to send the baby back to the hospital, but his parents tell him that he is here to stay. That night, Simon has a nightmare about wolves and wakes up scared. His parents won’t let him sleep with them so he reluctantly goes back to his room. He stops at the nursery when he hears that his baby brother (Bebé Abubé, as Simon calls him) is awake. To protect him from the wolves, big brother picks up the baby and safely takes him to his bed. Comforted by each other’s company, they quickly fall asleep. The simple, economic text is ideal for preschoolers, and its large font makes it accessible to beginning readers. The plain illustrations, which are reminiscent of a comic strip, use a few elements against a solid-color background to highlight the characters and their emotions. This story will resonate with many children, and its humor takes the edge off such a “this touchy” subject. Although children may need to be warned that taking a newborn into their room by themselves is not a good idea, the overarching message is an important one for new older siblings: you might need to share and compromise, but you have gained a lifelong best friend.
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