The Baby BeeBee Bird by Diane Redfield Massie

The Baby BeeBee Bird by Diane Redfield Massie, illustrated by Steven Kellogg

Rating: 5 loud stars!

I'm a big list person. I have found a bunch of "best books" lists on the web and am slowly making my way through them. For the most part, I've not been too impressed. Even the Caldecott book winners, which have plenty of gems among them, have a bunch more duds. I understand it's the lens through which you view the book that makes you think one is spectacular and another is not so awesome. It just seems that the Caldecott people are looking at and reading books with a grown up mindset. I'd like to know if they take all of the nominees home with them or to children's hospitals and read them out loud. Do they see the reaction of the illustrations on the kids' faces? Do they see which ones they select to read quietly (or loudly) by themselves? Because The Baby BeeBee Bird is definitely a book that would win over a children's vote for an award, especially one based not just on illustrations but the story, too. It is wonderful!

Humor in toddlers and preschoolers is a funny thing. Sarcasm is dangerous, and much of adult humor is, sadly, sarcastic meanness. But it's not yet middle school boys farting (though toots are funny in our house any time of day) and flicking boogers on girls. Somehow, Massie gets this and has produced a book that makes both my three year-old and 17 month-old giggle. I'd like to think that it has something to do with my reading of the book. Or Grammy's reading of the book; Grammy was in town visiting when we picked this up from the library. Grammy unknowingly volunteered to be the book Sherpa before she realized we check out about 20 books at a time. Is she still icing that shoulder?? Hope not.

Anyway, Grammy read this book to Lorelei and Ben during dinner last week. It's about a new animal at the zoo, a baby bee bee bird, who naps all days and then sings "BEE BEE BOPPI BOPPI!!" loudly all night long because she's wide awake. Then, in the morning, when she settles in for her nap, all the other animals in the zoo work together and trade in their respective sounds for "BEE BEE BOPPI BOPPI!" to keep the baby bee bee bird awake. Moral of the story: Nighttime is really for sleeping. I LOVE that moral! Since the reader has to say "BEE BEE BOPPI BOPPI!" precisely 4,235,902 times in the book, that alone is pretty funny. (Facial expressions that would be embarressing at any adult-only affair are a requisite for this book.) But what do all kids over 1 year know? What sounds animals make. So when the lions say "BEE BEE BOPPI BOPPI" instead of roaring, and the bears say "BEE BEE BOPPI BOPPI" instead of growling and the hippos say "BEE BEE BOPPI BOPPI" instead of...what do hippos say, again?...it is FUNNY!

This is a great, great book. I almost want to go out and buy it because I want it on-hand every night. Call me a mere mortal, but there are plenty of days when I hit 5 PM and I'm counting the seconds till bedtime--mostly my kids' bedtime, but also my own. This book revs me up, gives me a needed chuckle, lightens the mood in the whole house, and lets my kids and I laugh together. THIS is worthy of an award.