Pass the Baby
by Susanna Reich; illus. by Raúl Colón
Preschool    Porter/Holiday    32 pp.
10/23    9780823450855    $18.99
e-book ed.  9780823457311    $11.99

Reich offers up a rhythmic, rhyming celebration of family, particularly the family’s youngest member: “Call the guests to gather round, / grab a chair and take a seat. / Baby’s fussing, must be hungry. /Hurry up, it’s time to eat!” While this multiethnic, multiracial extended family cooks a special meal of enchiladas, ravioli, and black-eyed peas, they pass the baby from person to person—hugging, playing, and bouncing. The illustrations have their own rhythm, flipping from left to right on consecutive spreads with periodic full-bleed crowd scenes that encourage lingering. The kaleidoscopic use of color and layering of media lend depth, emphasizing the family’s love and joy. Details such as Doggie scarfing up crumbs, a picture knocked askew, and Grandma looking irritated capture a mildly controlled chaos that will be familiar to many readers. It’s lovely, too, to see the family gathering for no particular reason other than to be together. When the coffee spills and Baby dumps the sugar bowl on her doll’s head, dinner has reached its inevitable conclusion. “Everybody grab a napkin. / Baby’s made a great big mess!” The adults are done in, struggling to keep their eyes open, but Baby’s ready for another helping.

From the November/December 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.