September 27, 2010
Mama is pregnant with what soon-to-be sibling Gia refers to as "the ding-dang baby." Among the indignities she suffers: the in utero baby is already copying Gia's love of pecan pie—a culinary obsession that Gia thought she could share with Mama alone. "So that baby's just being a copycat!" gripes Gia. Newbery Honor author Woodson (Show Way) doesn't have new insights into displacement fears: the usual anxieties, oblivious relatives, and reassurances populate her story. But what she does have to say still resonates: "I know what I'm going to miss the most," Gia complains after an outburst at Thanksgiving dinner. "My whole, whole life." Blackall's (Big Red Lollipop) stylized ink and watercolor images, with their muted colors and slightly flattened perspectives, have a strong sense of style and calming warmth, as in a scene where Gia sits on the stoop, special memories of her mother spooling outward in squiggly thought bubbles. Gia may have moments when she feels "real, real, real alone," but readers will sense that Mama's love endures—and that Gia is going to be a very cool older sister. Ages 5–8.
October 1, 2010
K-Gr 2-Gia's mother is pregnant, and the child is not happy about it. As the story progresses, so does Gia's resentment until it all comes to a head at the Thanksgiving dinner table when she says quietly at first, and then practically yells, "'I'm so sick of that ding-dang baby!'" She is sent to her room where she has time to think. Mama later shares her feelings of how she, too, is going to miss some of the things that will change when the baby comes. "'Those were the good old days.' says Gia. Mama says, "'Guess you're going to have to tell the baby all about it, ' and Gia agrees, 'I guess I am.'" From then on, the girl is reassured and her attitude changes for the better. The one thing that Gia, her mother, and the new baby already share is a love of pecan pie. This sweet universal story will have broad appeal. Blackall's full-spread illustrations done in ink and watercolor gently convey the sense of passing time, along with Gia's frustration and nostalgia regarding how things used to be and how they will change. A fine addition to the new-sibling canon.-Mary N. Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
August 1, 2010
Preschool-G Gia is totally sick of all the talk about the ding-dang baby who will come soonmaybe when the snow comes, Mama says. Everything in Gias world seems to revolve around this new arrival. Gias friends ask her if she wants a brother or a sister; her grandmother and her aunts fuss over Mama; her teacher reads a story about being a big sister; and her uncles arrive to put a crib together. Finally, Gia loses it and yells during Thanksgiving dinner, Im so sick of that DING-DANG BABY! Gias fury, as well as her loving bond with her single-parent African American mother and her extended family, forms the heart of the story, and the ink-and-watercolor illustrations show mother and daughter telling silly stories, remembering good times, and snuggling up together until finally Gia is cuddling close to feel that ding-dang baby jumping around in Mamas belly. The honest story about jealousy, anger, displacement, and love will touch kids dealing with sibling rivalry and spark their talk about change.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)
January 1, 2011
Gia, "thinking about all the years it had been just me and Mama," isn't looking forward to the "ding-dang baby." Gia's narrative voice is prime Woodson--lyrical, colloquial, and imbued with the authentic feelings of a child. Blackall's smooth-edged, Chinese ink and watercolor illustrations dramatize the story's familiar yet comforting message about change, delivered here with unusual warmth and grace.
(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
Starred review from November 1, 2010
Gia's not looking forward to the "ding-dang baby," so evident in Mama's beautifully rounded belly, despite the happy anticipation voiced by supportive family and friends. Even her teacher seems to be in on the plot to be positive, while Mama's wisely understated cajoling leaves Gia feeling as aloof as ever, "thinking about all the years it had been just me and Mama...drinking hot chocolate and telling silly stories." But when Mama admits that she, too, will miss the "good old days," Gia agrees that she'll "have to tell the baby all about it." After all, that baby is already sharing the delicious pie that's Gia and Mama's favorite. Gia's narrative voice is prime Woodson -- lyrical, colloquial, and imbued with the authentic feelings of a child who might be as old as eight or as young as five, and Blackall's smooth-edged, Chinese ink and watercolor illustrations show the little family of two thriving in their simple, cozy home. Gently, the art clarifies and dramatizes the truth that change may feel threatening even in the most wholesome and loving environment -- a familiar message, but a comforting one, delivered here with unusual warmth and grace. joanna rudge long
(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)