Baby Brains and RoboMom - Hardcover

Simon James is the author-illustrator of two other books starring Baby Brains as well as many other celebrated books for children, including LITTLE ONE STEP, THE BIRDWATCHERS, SALLY AND THE LIMPET, and LEON AND BOB. He lives in Devon, England.

Kindergarten-Grade 2—Baby Brains is back and as funny as ever. Even as a newborn, he exceeded all of his parents' hopes and expectations for a clever child. In the first book he whizzed through medical school and outer space. This time around, he sticks close to home experimenting with his chemistry set and coming up with new inventions. Many of these projects, like the remote-controlled self-rocking cradle, are designed to make his parents' lives easier. Alas, they are still worn out. Mrs. Brains even falls asleep reading her son a bedtime story (Hamlet). The wunderkind is sure that science and technology hold the answer, so he works all night to build "RoboMom." She helps with household chores, but soon starts doing too much. She makes a series of hilarious mistakes such as washing Baby with the dishes and leaving him dangling from the clothesline to dry, as he cries "I want my mommy!" He is rescued just before RoboMom explodes. He then makes a miniature version to vacuum while his human parents take care of the important stuff. The ink and watercolor illustrations are filled with warmth and playful details. Kids will laugh at the absurdity while adults chuckle at the wit. This is a delightful addition to James's sensitive yet playful body of work.—Amelia Jenkins, Juneau Public Library, AK
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