Crybaby

Baby-Toddler—A baby is crying in the middle of the night. Her parents, grandparents, sister, brother, and neighbors do everything they can think of to make her stop. Roy, the dog, knows the answer all along, but no one is paying attention, and his repeated barks only add to the din. The humorous cumulative text invites participation, as each person's attempt ends with the refrain "But the more they tried, the more that baby cried…W-A-A-A-A!" Yelchin's mixed-media illustrations are fun and full of life. The characters have the look of watercolor cutouts, arranged on top of vibrantly colored, swirling, painted backgrounds. What the baby wants is her toy lamb, a solution that children will predict from the beginning of the story. Child readers will love being in on the joke, identifying with Roy and an equally perplexed mouse as they try to help the clueless humans. Beautifully composed, each page propels the story to a climactic spread filled with hula hooping, magic tricks, juggling, soap bubbles, and music! With everyone else busy, Roy is finally able to deliver the toy to the baby, who smiles and falls asleep, at last.