Babies Ruin Everything

by Matthew Swanson, Robbi Behr (Illustrator)

Overview

Meet the baby who ruins everything, and the big sister who learns to love him. Together, they make this laugh out loud picture book the perfect gift for new siblings and baby showers!

The baby can't stand on one foot.
He can't throw a Frisbee.
And he can't whistle! Even big-head Benny Hogarth can whistle, and he already lost his front teeth!

So says a spunky little girl who thinks her new baby brother is ruining EVERYTHING: wrecking her room, drooling all over her toys, and throwing a wrench in her birthday party plans.

But when she opens her heart, this big sister realizes she might be the real problem-the baby's just a baby, after all. Maybe all he needs is a better big sister.

Tall kids, small kids, and parents alike will laugh through this funny and sweet tale of learning how wonderful-and lucky-it is to have a new sibling.

An Imprint book

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250085979
Publisher:	Imprint
Publication date:	07/19/2016
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	81 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr are the author/illustrator, husband/wife duo behind Ten Thousand Stories (Chronicle Books, 2013) and more than 60 illustrated books for children and adults. They run two small publishing companies and a letterpress shop out of their home/barn/studio in Maryland, teach and speak on creativity and collaboration, and have three small-but-obstreperous children.

Editorial Reviews

"Babies Ruin Everything speaks to that older brother or sister, telling them, simply: 'I hear you. This is hard' This is a wonderfully empathetic and funny book that doesn't talk down to older siblings and their real struggles having their world turned upside down. I love my little sister, but if I was still three, I'd probably be trying to sell her to you." —Kate Beaton, author and illustrator of The Princess and the Pony, and the #1 New York Times bestseller Hark! A Vagrant

"A fun read that can empower big sisters and brothers to make the most of their new family roles." —School Library Journal

Everywhere, Wonder:

“Swanson's fanciful and whimsical exploration of the meeting of imagination and story is strengthened by the jewel-toned colors and sheer scope of Behr's illustrations.” —Kirkus Reviews

"A sweeping exploration of imagination, appreciation, and possibility."—Publishers Weekly

"A tribute to the power of imagination awaiting those who are open to the marvels that surround them." —School Library Journal

The Real McCoys:

"This clever, funny, delightful book is just what this crazy world needs. The surprising and inventive interaction between text and illustration shows that two brains are, indeed, better than one—especially when they belong to Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr." —Andrea Beaty, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ada Twist Scientist

From the Publisher

2016-04-02
A long-winded, first-person treatise on a well-worn theme is delivered by a new big sister.The premise of the story is familiar: a little girl is less than enthusiastic about the birth of her baby brother; she is then scornful of his inability to do much of anything, and she asks her parents to make him go away. Her frustration, boredom, and jealousy suddenly abate after an outburst: "BABIES RUIN EVERYTHING!" The following page turn reveals a wordless double-page spread divided into four horizontal bars of color. These are illustrated with close-ups of the baby's eyes to the left of the gutter and the sister's to the right. The progression down the spread shows the baby going from tearful to wailing and the sister's expression changing to show increasing guilt. After this point, the sister decides to try to be "a better sister," which involves letting the baby make quite a mess. Mom is none too pleased, and her response forges an alliance of sorts between the children that rounds out the story. Throughout, the naïve, cartoon art style is well-suited to the child's narration, but its busyness can seem cluttered, as surely as the lengthy text needs significant snipping. Both tots are light-skinned, but the protagonist's straight, black hair could indicate she's a child of color.Such a familiar theme needs something to distinguish the book that revisits it, and that something is missing here. (Picture book. 5-7)

Kirkus Reviews