Mary Hoffman is not exactly an expert on babies but she has had three of her own and five grandbabies. The youngest is two and Mary has made colourful blankets for each one. The four-year-old still takes hers everywhere. Mary is very good at sending babies to sleep, which Mog might have appreciated, but she has never fed any of them avocado. Mary has been making up stories for babies and children for as long as she can remember, long before she had any of her own. She does this because what she liked best herself as a small child was stories and she would have loved to have any of these books read to her when she was little.
I wrote...
Babies, Babies Everywhere!
By
Mary Hoffman,
Ros Asquith
What is my book about?
Babies, Babies Everywhere! Sleeping, crying, laughing, looking, gurgling, eating, crawling...and at last toddling! Follow five families and their babies from birth to around 12 months, with all the excitements, challenges and joys of that first year with a new baby in the world. With lots to look at and point to, this diverse and inclusive celebration of babies, from the team who created The Great Big Book of Families, will be loved by babies, older siblings - and grown-ups too!
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The Books I Picked & Why
The Baby's Catalogue
By
Allan Ahlberg,
Janet Ahlberg
Why this book?
In a sense, our new title Babies, Babies Everywhere! Is a homage to this lovely book, which the Ahlbergs made when they realised that their baby, Jessica, was much more interested in the Mothercare catalogue than in the picture books aimed at her age group. We wanted to update it with a more typical 21st-century bunch of babies and their diverse families.
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Avocado Baby
By
John Burningham
Why this book?
The baby in this book won’t eat anything he’s offered – a situation most parents will identify with – until, in despair, his mother finds an avocado in the fruit bowl. From then on he has a favourite food – and it turns him into an immensely strong superhero!
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Mog and the Baby
By
Judith Kerr
Why this book?
“Mog loves babies!” says the poor cat’s owners but this is not strictly true. Mog just wants to snooze undisturbed but a visiting baby soon puts paid to that. Her expressions are brilliantly done as the baby takes more and more liberties. When Mog escapes out the window, the baby follows, with almost catastrophic results in the road outside. But Mog saves the day - and the baby - and is rewarded with a gigantic fish.
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A Baby Sister for Frances
By
Russell Hoban,
Lilian Hoban
Why this book?
It’s a family of badgers but Frances has some very human emotions about having a baby sibling. She is not outright hostile but does pack a rucksack with snacks and runs away – as far as under the dining table. Her very understanding parents handle it in an exemplary fashion and Frances sees there are advantages to being the older sister, since babies can’t eat chocolate cake.
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Cave Baby
By
Julia Donaldson,
Emily Gravett
Why this book?
Two great talents came together to produce this classic story of a bored baby who annoys his parents by drawing on the walls. Only their home is a cave. In the night, he is whisked away by a mammoth, which could be terrifying, but the great beast just wants the baby to paint animals on his cave walls.