Shady Baby (Shady Baby #1)

Toddler enthusiasm and artful side-eye come to life in Whitaker’s bright, open spreads and saturated color palette, bringing vibrancy to Shady’s many boss moves. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Serving looks and a little bit of shade with every reread. (Picture book. 3-7).

Copyright 2021 Kirkus Reviews, LLC Used with permission.

PreS-Gr 1-Meet Shady Baby, an expressive baby who wears her emotions out in the open. She's a trendsetter, beat maker, and athlete, but most importantly, she's someone who speaks up when she sees bad things happening. Doing the right thing isn't always easy, but she finds a way to do it in her Shady Baby way. She sets an example for her friends and shows them the importance of playing fair and standing up for each other. This gorgeously illustrated picture book introduces the world to Shady Baby, who is inspired by the authors' daughter. The title character helps model essential interpersonal communication practices for the picture book's audience. Her choice to share even when she doesn't want to reminds children that they should always be kind. The book's vibrant color palette portrays a variety of skin tones, giving kids a refreshing and necessary example of representation. VERDICT This is not only a fun, lesson-filled journey about standing up for yourself and your friends, making it a valuable addition to picture book collections.-Myiesha Speight, formerly at Towson Univ., Baltimore © Copyright 2021. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.