Oh, Baby! by Chad Geran
As a parent and bookseller, one thing I learned more than 20 years ago is that babies love to look at pictures of other babies. Yet, as a bookseller I was continually perplexed by the scarcity of board books featuring babies - human babies, not cute animals. This alone could have me excited about Chad Geran's new board book, Oh, Baby!, published by Pow!, a new, independent publisher dedicated to publishing "visually driven, imagination-fuelled" books that combine an "offbeat or humorous sensibility with outstanding design that delight children and grown-ups equally."
Geran definitely fulfills the promise of visually driven with an offbeat or humorous sensibility. But, almost better than that, Geran clearly has spent time around babies. In fact, he is the father of two little boys and understandably lists himself as a "former sleeper."
Geran's big-eyed babies will definitely capture the attention of the intended audience, and the round, chunky shape of the book is easy for pudgy little fingers to hold and manipulate. This is definitely important, but, as a parent, what I appreciate are the funny and messy moments that Geran captures that parents can commiserate with and laugh about, as seen below.
We've all been peed on and worse, and that's definitely good for a chuckle, but my favorite page in the book can be seen below. I know it's pretty awful, but that look for frozen fear that one or two of my kids got in their eyes when tossed in the air as infants still makes me laugh...
Source: Review Copy
