Pecan Pie Baby

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. (Oct.)

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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