Overview
Babies are most definitely on the move in this exuberant rhyming celebration of all the ways animal parents carry their little ones. Babies and toddlers everywhere will love learning about how all the different babies—including humans—get around.
Illustrations and rhyming text show how different animals carry their babies when they are on the move.
Synopsis
A playful look at how different animals—including people—carry their babies when they're on the move
Publishers Weekly
This crowd-pleaser showcases the way various parents care for their young. "Some babies stand up right away./ They take a step, then run and play," the volume begins. Three panel paintings on the left show mothers with their wobbly-kneed giraffe, deer or hippo, while across the gutter, the three newborns hit their stride. The next spread ("But many need more time to grow, so they have other ways to go") introduces an array of slower starters, whose mode of transport is explained in a series of rhymed couplets. "Surfing on a paddle-tail" serves as caption for a mother beaver towing her baby, for instance. A final page labels each animal portrait, but the emphasis is on reassurance more than science. The polar bear cub is "nudged along with gentle paws," and even the parent crocodile seems blissfully content with her baby who is "floating by in giant jaws." Although the text occasionally strains to make the verb tense fit the formula or reads awkwardly (e.g., the anteater baby "touring solo on their ride" and the lizard baby "boosted by a piggyback"), Ashman's (Castles, Caves, and Honeycombs) uplifting message shines through. Dyer's (Time for Bed) cuddly animal pairs with eyes full of love, reinforce the warmth of this delectably oversize volume. The ending brings the focus back to the audience, showcasing a plethora of human babies riding in strollers and backpacks: "Babies always ride with love." A 10 on the "aw"-inspiring scale.
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
The Barnes & Noble ReviewLinda Ashman (Can You Make a Piggy Giggle?) and Jane Dyer (I Love You like Crazy Cakes) team up for a sweet exploration of how babies get around. Ashman's clever rhymes explain how tykes of many species travel ("Rolling by in baby strollers / Holding tight to Mother's shoulders / Grabbing on to clumps of hair / Riding bareback through the air"), and Dyer's warm watercolors portray a real sense of comfort and safety. Whether it's a little koala clinging to its mama, a young elephant being "towed along a bumpy trail," or a baby beaver "surfing on a paddle-tail," happy-faced passengers of every sort bask in the sure knowledge that they "always ride with love."
This book is beautifully designed, with illustrations that slowly move each mother-baby duo along in an easterly direction -- until they reach their final destination; and a delightful "Meet the Babies" montage displays all Dyer's beautiful artwork on the final page. Sweet and tender but never sappy, Babies on the Go is a surefire charmer, perfect for reinforcing the bonds between parents and children. Matt Warner
Publishers Weekly
This crowd-pleaser showcases the way various parents care for their young. "Some babies stand up right away./ They take a step, then run and play," the volume begins. Three panel paintings on the left show mothers with their wobbly-kneed giraffe, deer or hippo, while across the gutter, the three newborns hit their stride. The next spread ("But many need more time to grow, so they have other ways to go") introduces an array of slower starters, whose mode of transport is explained in a series of rhymed couplets. "Surfing on a paddle-tail" serves as caption for a mother beaver towing her baby, for instance. A final page labels each animal portrait, but the emphasis is on reassurance more than science. The polar bear cub is "nudged along with gentle paws," and even the parent crocodile seems blissfully content with her baby who is "floating by in giant jaws." Although the text occasionally strains to make the verb tense fit the formula or reads awkwardly (e.g., the anteater baby "touring solo on their ride" and the lizard baby "boosted by a piggyback"), Ashman's (Castles, Caves, and Honeycombs) uplifting message shines through. Dyer's (Time for Bed) cuddly animal pairs with eyes full of love, reinforce the warmth of this delectably oversize volume. The ending brings the focus back to the audience, showcasing a plethora of human babies riding in strollers and backpacks: "Babies always ride with love." A 10 on the "aw"-inspiring scale.Parenting Magazine
"Lovely watercolors and soothing rhymes. . . . A gentle introduction to the animal kingdom."Children's Literature
Yes, any book illustrated by Jane Dyer is sure to be beautiful, 'awwww' inspiring and heartwarming. The challenge is to have a text that so wonderfully complements it, like Time for Bed manages to do. I am delighted to say that Babies on the Go is up to the challenge. Listen¾"Some babies stand up right away. They take a step, then run and play. But many need more time to grow. So they have other ways to go..." The cadence is fun and the illustrations showing a cygnet on its mother's back to a baby croc in mom's mouth are as educational as they are wonderful to behold. I even like the last 'awwww' line—not too sweet, just right, "On the ground or high above, babies always ride with love." 2003, Harcourt,— Sharon Levin