What the No-Good Baby is Good For by Elise Broach

What the No-Good Baby is Good For by Elise Broach, illustrated by Abby Carter

Rating: 2 stars

We love Elise Broach, but...this book is not great.  We are throwing it into the sad, big pile of books-that-assume-big-siblings-hate-their-little-siblings.  It sure isn't for us, and it makes me wonder who would welcome a book like this into their house?  I hope there aren't many people out there, because it sure doesn't help promote a loving family atmosphere that we'd like to pretend we'll have for longer than the next few years. 

Please don't burst our bubble if you think this is untrue.  We are really enjoying our kids' relationship with each other right now!

In this book, the big brother resents his baby sister, says she's good for nothing, and wants to get rid of her.  "It's time for the baby to go," he says.  And then, the mother says, to his and my surprise, "I guess you're right."  Together, they help pack her belongings.  As they pack, the big brother realizes that the very things that his baby sister does to annoy him--throw Cheerios on the floor, pull the cat's tail, make noise at the library--could actually be seen as good things.  So he and his mother decide to just send the baby sister away for the day--to Grandma's eager arms--and spend the day together.

Obviously, there are some redeeming qualities here:

• The big brother learns that attitude and perspective is everything, and if he looks at his baby sister through a more positive lens, the scene is better.  That's definitely an important lesson.
   
• The mother recognizes her son's need for some time apart from the baby, and some time spent just with her.  That's another important lesson in new-sibling-hood--that while you do have to share everything (including mom) everyday and all day long, taking a break once in a while is healthy and refreshing and wonderful.

Still, we've had this book from the library for over a week and Lorelei and Ben haven't seen it.  I don't really want "no-good baby" in their vocabulary for a few seconds, let alone years.  I wish that Elise Broach had just changed the title and text to be more positive, because then the book would be better. 

But the book still rests on the premise that the big brother doesn't like the baby sister, and I just don't want to be the one responsible for putting that idea into my own children's heads.  Things are going swimmingly now, with Lorelei believing--rightly, we think--that Ben is a wonderful addition to the family.