Where's Baby?

Starred review from November 4, 2019
“Have you seen Baby, Mama Fox?” Thus begins a search (and a sly introduction to prepositions) that leads Papa Fox to search up in a tree, inside a log, over a hill, down a hole, under some water, and around the bend, encountering a number of un-foxlike creatures, some of them more polite than others. ( “I am not your baby. Go away!” answers a grumpy skunk, and an affable ox responds, “I am not your baby. I’m Davy!”) Hunter’s simple but lively pen and colored pencil drawings allow the deadpan humor to ring out—all the characters, save one, are rendered in scratchy black and white atop a delicate blue sky, and the entire dialogue is delivered via hand-lettered speech bubbles. A small orange character hides just out of the searching animal’s sight throughout the spreads until Papa Fox checks an obvious spot at Mama’s behest—attentive readers will spot early on that Mama Fox is in on the game. The dramatic irony paired with Papa’s earnest calls of “Ba-by!” make this a winner for interactive reading, and Baby’s final request, “Can we do that again?” will ensure this fun and gently instructive story is repeated. Ages 3–7.

November 1, 2019
In a hiding game led by Baby Fox, Papa Fox searches the forest for his little one but neglects to look in one obvious place. Not finding his offspring indoors in their den, Papa Fox asks Mama where Baby might be, and she responds: "Why, Baby must be somewhere, Papa Fox." Papa heads out to find Baby and looks in, over, under, down, up, and around, encountering owl, skunk, bear, mouse, toothy fish, and bull--but no Baby Fox. Disheartened, Papa says, "Mama Fox, I can't find Baby anywhere." She responds knowingly, "Have you looked behind you, Papa Fox?" Readers will have seen that Mama has been in on the joke all along if they noticed, early on, Mama waving goodbye to Baby, who is quietly following Papa as he sets off on his search. The text is entirely composed of dialogue in speech balloons. Graceful, finely sketched pen-and-pencil drawings, primarily in black and gray against a pale blue backdrop, complement this exercise in identifying prepositions. Kids will play along with Baby, easily spotting his pointy ears and rusty-orange body, which pops against the otherwise muted palette. Reunited with Papa, Baby Fox asks, "Can we do that again?"--encouraging multiple readings of this amusing story. Fun and instructive, this forest frolic will have kids eager to play along. (Picture book. 2-4)

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December 1, 2019

PreS-K-Papa Fox is searching for Baby in this simple, unassuming concept book about prepositions. Papa Fox looks up in a tree, inside a log, down a hole, and a plethora of other locations, but only finds other animals who are not his child. Meanwhile, hiding in the illustrations, Baby is clearly visible and follows Papa Fox as he searches. Finally, he returns to Mama Fox, declaring he cannot find Baby, until Mama Fox points out Baby has been hiding behind him all along. Papa Fox and his little one embrace, with Baby hoping they can go searching through the woods to meet different animals again. The artwork, which was rendered in ballpoint pen and colored pencil, is featured on expansive two-page spreads. The colors are muted and soft, adding to the quiet tone of the story. Young readers will enjoy spotting Baby in the illustrations, making this a fun read-aloud during group sharing. Although designed to teach children about prepositions, this element is never obtrusive or detracting to the storytelling. VERDICT A delightful picture book to teach children about prepositions in a subtle, charming way. Recommended.-Laura J. Giunta, Garden City Public Library, NY

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2019
Preschool-G Baby Fox plays a one-sided game of hide-and-seek with Papa who, with his cane and not-so-great eyesight, searches high and low for his child. Mama knows where Baby is, safe and sound close by his father, who is looking for him everywhere. This entertaining book for very young children features concepts such as in, out, over, under, up, and down. Artwork in ballpoint pen and colored pencils uses crosshatching and curved lines to show the tale of a concerned parent and his impish offspring. Large-lettered dialogue appears in speech bubbles and consists of Papa calling for his son . . . and another animal answering the call. The drawings are in black and white, while the sky and river are pale blue, and Baby Fox is a light rust color. Youngsters will get a kick out of being able to point out the small fox throughout the story, while his father doesn't realize until they arrive back home that Baby was never far away from him.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)