I Am a Baby - by Bob Shea (Hardcover)

About the Book

"With humor and sympathy, Bob Shea looks at the chaos of life with a baby as amiably narrated by the new arrival. Repeating the mantra (and blithe explanation) "because I am a baby," the tiny narrator leads us through scenes of exhaustion, grumpiness, squishy diapers, spilled milk, cowering kittens, and chubby overfed pups (oopsie!)"--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

From the creator of the mega-popular Dinosaur vs. series comes a hilariously deadpan look at new parenthood--from a baby's point of view.

I am not sleepy.
I am not sleepy because I am a baby.
Mommy is sleepy.
Mommy is sleepy because I am a baby.

With humor and sympathy, Bob Shea looks at the chaos of life with a baby as amiably narrated by the new arrival. Repeating the mantra (and blithe explanation) "because I am a baby," the tiny narrator leads us through scenes of exhaustion, grumpiness, squishy diapers, spilled milk, cowering kittens, and chubby overfed pups (oopsie!). Playing against the simple, matter-of-fact text are freewheeling illustrations of mess and mayhem, in which the grown-ups' exaggerated body language is sure to send older children into fits of giggles. With its endearing, unabashedly self-pleased star, I Am a Baby will find a place at showers, in nurseries, on parents' shelves, and in the hands of appreciative big siblings, as it celebrates the changes a little one brings, at once challenging and full of love.

Review Quotes

Shea offers a slyly humorous take on life with a newborn in this wry picture book, pitched as much to parents as to kids. . . . Digital drawings with a retro vibe contrast the infant's gleeful disruptions with the haggard expressions of the beleaguered parents--humorously, if accurately, picturing the mixture of exhaustion and joy that defines early parenthood.
--Publishers Weekly

This egocentric yet lovable infant will strike a chord with exhausted new parents, and emerging readers will appreciate the repetitive, deadpan text. A welcome addition to baby storytimes.
--Booklist

The saying goes that eternity is two people and a ham. For a young family, a better definition might be two new parents and a new baby. . . . Bob Shea captures the exhausting joy of this little eternity in 'I Am a Baby, ' a picture book that's likely to be enjoyed even more by parents than by children ages 2-5. . . . Like any ordinary unremitting day with a real baby, this light, humorous story circles around and comes back by the end almost to where it began. The endpapers of 'I Am a Baby, ' meanwhile, are like two extra books in themselves.
--The Wall Street Journal

About the Author

Bob Shea is the author, illustrator, or author-illustrator of many well-loved picture books and chapter books, including the Ballet Cat and Dinosaur vs. series as well as Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great; Unicorn Is Maybe Not So Great After All; Crash, Splash, Moo!; and Who Wet My Pants?, which was illustrated by Zacharia OHora. Bob Shea's characters and animations have appeared on Nick Jr., Playhouse Disney, and PBS KIDS. He lives in Connecticut.