The Boss Baby

Marla Frazee (2010), 40 pages

Audience: all ages

Format: picture book

Buckle your seat-belts … it’s time to meet the Boss. Two-time Caldecott honoree, Marla Frazee has readers laughing from page one … The Boss Baby is ready for business when he steps out from the taxicab suited up in a black onesie and tie … “From the moment the baby arrived, it was obvious that he was the boss.” Frazee's text is hilarious and witty, but her illustrations steal the show and manage to make this story even more rip-roaring fun. The boss baby keeps a tight schedule of around-the-clock meetings (feedings, diaper changes, etc.) and enjoys the baby bourgeois lifestyle by relaxing in the spa (baby bathtub), working out in the executive gym (baby activity center) and using the private jet (baby swing) ... he even sets up "his office right smack-dab in the middle of the house." Unmistakably, this baby is in charge! After exhausting his parents (ahem, I mean his workers) baby starts to wonder how he'll keep them on their toes? Well, just like other bosses, sometimes babies have to think outside the box ...

This book will make you laugh and smile at the wild-ride of parenting. Frazee’s narrative is brilliant and her pictures are bright and cheerful – although younger children may not get the irony of the story, they will enjoy the expressive quality and exuberance of the characters. This may be especially useful when welcoming a new sibling. A must-have for any new parent or expectant family!

Reviewed by: Katharine Quinn, SJSU MLIS Student

If you liked this book, you may like: Ma! There’s Nothing to Do Here! By Barbara Park or There’s Going to be a Baby by John Burningham

Other books by this author: Hush, Little Baby: A Folk Song with Pictures, Roller Coaster, and Walk On!