There's Going to Be a Baby

In a first-time creative pairing, two of the world’s most treasured picture book creators offer a truly delightful book for new-siblings-to-be.

When is the new baby coming? What will we call it? What will he do? We don’t really need a baby, do we? With sensitivity and wit, John Burningham follows the swirl of questions in the mind of a young child anticipating a baby sibling with excitement, curiosity, and just a bit of trepidation. In perfect tandem, Helen Oxenbury captures the child’s loving interactions with his mother — along with the fanciful future scenarios he imagines for the new family member he has yet to meet. Combining a warm, timeless story with illustrations both freshly enchanting and wonderfully nostalgic, this gorgeous book has all the hallmarks of a classic.

Publishers Weekly

On the heels of the pairing of Mem Fox and Oxenbury in Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes, here's another dream-come-true matchup: Oxenbury and her husband. A little boy has learned that a sibling is on the way; as the seasons change and the mother's tummy expands, she and the boy engage in a fanciful dialogue on the subject of "What will the baby do?" It's an approach that could easily turn twee, but Burningham (It's a Secret!) makes it feel like an authentic portrayal of both an expectant mother's reveries and a firstborn's vacillating emotions. When the mother suggests that the baby could work at the zoo, the boy mischievously suggests that a tiger might eat the new arrival. Wordless intervening spreads picture the baby trying out the various career paths discussed--in this case, washing and feeding various animals. The handsome, clear-lined images may seem retro at first, but the crispness acts as a containing presence for displacement fears and a source of narrative momentum--all the while allowing Oxenbury to exercise the full power of her visual magic. Ages 2-up. (Oct.)

John Burningham, a two-time winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal, is the author- illustrator of many acclaimed picture books, including the Candlewick titles It’s a Secret and Harvey Slumfenburger’s Christmas Present. His work is also featured in the collectors’ volume John Burningham. He lives in London with his wife, Helen Oxenbury.

Helen Oxenbury, a winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal among many other awards, has illustrated such Candlewick books as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Alice Through the Looking Glass, Big Momma Makes the World, Farmer Duck, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, and So Much! She lives in London with her husband, John Burningham.