The Boss Baby

by Marla Frazee, Marla Frazee (Illustrator)

Overview

A new baby shows everyone who’s really in charge in this hilarious picture book from two-time Caldecott Honor recipient Marla Frazee.

DreamWorks Animation’s The Boss Baby—featuring the voice of Alec Baldwin—is now an Oscar-nominated motion picture inspired by Marla Frazee’s beloved picture book!

From the moment the baby arrived, it was obvious that he was the boss.

The boss baby is used to getting his way—drinks made to order 24/7, a private jet, and meetings around the clock. But when his demands aren’t getting proper responses, he has to go to new lengths to achieve the attention he deserves.

Marla Frazee brings her signature wit and humor—along with adorable illustrations—to a book that explores the effect of one family’s very unusual new arrival.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442401679
Publisher:	Beach Lane Books
Publication date:	08/31/2010
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	587,086
Product dimensions:	10.54(w) x 11.04(h) x 0.39(d)
Lexile:	AD300L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Marla Frazee has illustrated many acclaimed picture books, including The Boss Baby, All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon, which recieved a 2010 Caldecott Honor, Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers and Harriet, You'll Drive Me Wild! by Mem Fox, as well as her own A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever, which received a 2009 Caldecott Honor, Walk On!, Roller Coaster, and Santa Claus the World's Number One Toy Expert. She is also the illustrator of the bestselling Clementine chapter book series by Sara Pennypacker. She lives with her family in Pasadena, California. Visit her at www.marlafrazee.com.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"The concept is cute and the execution witty and efficient, with an agreeably concise (and straight-faced) text allowing plenty of room for the pictures to deliver the punch lines...Sure to be this year's baby-shower hit."—The Horn Book Magazine

* "This wry picture book will appeal to parents, of course, but also to siblings who see a new baby demand so much of mom and dad’s time and energy.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "The author again proves her storytelling chops and her artistic genius in this tongue-in-cheek tale in which text and image overlap seamlessly to deliver a perfectly timed punch line. Parents and older siblings will best appreciate both the visual humor and the new-baby blues presented here. Offer this read-aloud to families experiencing their own infantile corporate takeover."—School Library Journal, starred review

* "In a perfect pick-me-up for both older siblings and bleary-eyed new parents, Frazee hilariously parses their new status. The brilliant baby-as-boss metaphor drives the book from the start...Clever and empathetic, this book is an especially apropos choice for the baby shower circuit."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Paired with perfectly timed, deadpan text, Frazee’s artwork is as slyly comic and artfully expressive as ever."—Booklist

Editorial Reviews

In a perfect pick-me-up for both older siblings and bleary-eyed new parents, Frazee (All the World) hilariously parses their new status. The brilliant baby-as-boss metaphor drives the book from the start, as a baby strides in from his taxi, outfitted with a suit (complete with rear-end flap and pj-style "footies"), briefcase, and a permanent scowl. Caldecott Honoree Frazee milks this comparison for every possible laugh ("The funky thing was, he never, ever said a single word that made any sense at all"), and the baby's job perks include "the spa" (a bubble bath), "the executive gym" (he attempts a pull-up on a baby gym), and "drinks made to order, 24/7" (the baby sits at a red-checked table littered with bottles, demanding service with his finger in the air). Cartoon vignettes in pencil-streaked gouache hum with a funky, retro style seen in sleek furnishings and the '50s fashions of the accommodating but increasingly exhausted parents. Finally, when the baby's tantrums can't rouse them, he discovers a more effective management technique--"Ma-ma? Da-da?" Clever and empathetic, this book is an especially apropos choice for the baby shower circuit. Ages 4-8. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"The concept is cute and the execution witty and efficient, with an agreeably concise (and straight-faced) text allowing plenty of room for the pictures to deliver the punch lines...Sure to be this year's baby-shower hit."—The Horn Book Magazine

* "This wry picture book will appeal to parents, of course, but also to siblings who see a new baby demand so much of mom and dad’s time and energy.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "The author again proves her storytelling chops and her artistic genius in this tongue-in-cheek tale in which text and image overlap seamlessly to deliver a perfectly timed punch line. Parents and older siblings will best appreciate both the visual humor and the new-baby blues presented here. Offer this read-aloud to families experiencing their own infantile corporate takeover."—School Library Journal, starred review

* "In a perfect pick-me-up for both older siblings and bleary-eyed new parents, Frazee hilariously parses their new status. The brilliant baby-as-boss metaphor drives the book from the start...Clever and empathetic, this book is an especially apropos choice for the baby shower circuit."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Paired with perfectly timed, deadpan text, Frazee’s artwork is as slyly comic and artfully expressive as ever."—Booklist

From the Publisher

Gr 2—Boss Baby is here and he's just as capricious and demanding as any corporate CEO. From midnight meetings to made-to-order drinks, this little tyrant keeps his staff of two on the run until they finally pass out from exhaustion and fail to respond to his calls. He resorts to some out-of-the-box thinking and discovers two magic words that quickly bring Mom and Dad back to attention. Frazee's '50s-inspired pencil and watercolor illustrations set the tone, beginning with the cover image, where Boss Baby appears stern-faced in his suit-and-tie onesie beside a smiley-face rattle that has clearly failed to amuse. The author again proves her storytelling chops and her artistic genius in this tongue-in-cheek tale in which text and image overlap seamlessly to deliver a perfectly timed punch line. Parents and older siblings will best appreciate both the visual humor and the new-baby blues presented here. Offer this read-aloud to families experiencing their own infantile corporate takeover.—Jayne Damron, Farmington Community Library, MI

School Library Journal