About the Author

Trish Cooke has worked as a TV presenter, has written stage plays and has had numerous acting roles in the theatre and on screen. She is also the author of several picture books including Full, Full, Full of Love. She lives in London.

Helen Oxenbury is among the most popular and critically acclaimed illustrators of her time. Her numerous books for children include Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell, We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen, as well as her classic board books for babies. She won the Kate Greenaway Medal for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Her most recent picture books include the critically acclaimed There's Going to Be a Baby, the first book-publishing collaboration between her and her husband John Burningham, and Charley's First Night and When Charley Met Granpa by Amy Hest. Helen lives in London.

Reviews

Eulogises urban Afro-Caribbean home life through tenderness and humour ... a book to savour. TES Even very young babies can enjoy the illustrations and lilting narrative of a really good picturebook like this one. [...] A colourful and comforting read. Time Out

PreS-Gr 1‘A toddler and his mother are perched on a couch, doing nothing really, when ``DING DONG!'' the doorbell rings, and in comes Auntie Bibba, arms out wide, wanting to squeeze the baby ``SO MUCH!'' After the three of them settle in, Uncle Didi arrives wanting to kiss the baby ``SO MUCH!'' By the end of this cumulative tale, told in a sort of Caribbean patois, the urban dwelling is filled with loving family waiting for the child's father's surprise party to begin. One young cousin expresses his affection for the baby by wanting to ``fight'' him so much, but the illustrations make clear that he is really just rough-housing. Oxenbury's dynamic, exaggerated representations of this exuberant black family are humorous and filled with action. The black-and-white line drawings beneath the large-print text are more successful than the full-page, full-color gouache paintings with which they alternate, as the latter border on caricature. Nonetheless, the rhythmic text and oversized format will make this a fun read-aloud.‘Anna DeWind, Milwaukee Public Library