Crybaby by Karen Beaumont

Karen Beaumont's newest picture book is a sure-fire hit!  The simple plot in this story is about a baby who wakes up in her crib and does not want to go back to sleep. The family, relatives, and even neighbors try to quiet her down by changing her diaper, tickling baby's tummy, giving her a bottle, burping her, etc.  But the more they tried, the more she cried.  The old retriever named Roy knows that the baby wants her toy sheep to help her get back to sleep.  However, nobody else is paying any attention to the dog except a tiny mouse seen in most of the humorous illustrations by Eugene Yelchin.  The dog is being chastised when he barks...."No, Roy!  Down, boy!  Baby doesn't want that toy." Of course, that is exactly what baby wants and when Roy brings baby's white and woolly little sheep to her, she grasps it and snuggles down to sleep in her crib immediately.  There is so much more going on in the picture book, Crybaby, than the text alone would indicate. The reader will enjoy discovering funny details through the delightful watercolor illustrations that extend the story.  We see the clock ticking away the time beginning around 1:00 in the morning until 6:00 a.m. as the story progresses.  The repetition of various sounds as the people try to get baby back to sleep is cumulative and makes for a great read-aloud.  But the best part of this fun book are the expressions on the dog's face throughout the story.  Crybaby will invoke laughter and giggles as you and your little one pour over the pages.  The next time I do storytime about babies I will definitely reach for this title as it begs to be read aloud!