Please, Baby, Please

by Spike Lee, Spike Lee, Tonya Lewis Lee

From moments fussy to fond, Academy Award–nominated filmmaker Spike Lee and his wife, producer Tonya Lewis Lee, present a behind-the-scenes look at the chills, spills, and unequivocal thrills of bringing up baby!

Go back to bed,
baby, please, baby, please.
Not on your HEAD
baby baby baby, please!

Vivid illustrations from celebrated artist Kadir Nelson evoke toddlerhood from sandbox to high chair to crib, and families everywhere will delight in sharing these exuberant moments again and again.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Storytime, Family, African American, Fiction, Realistic Fiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2002

About the author

Shelton Jackson Lee, better known as Spike Lee, is an Emmy Award - winning, and Academy Award - nominated American film director, producer, writer, and actor noted for his films dealing with controversial social and political issues. He also teaches film at New York University and Columbia University. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983.

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please, readers, please! Choose this book if you are a fan of Kadir Nelson's work. And if you haven't ever encountered his work, please begin. The illustrations are so wonderful! I just love the baby's expression on the front cover. This is one beautiful, spirited baby! The text is just fine, I really enjoyed the variations on the "please, baby" refrain and felt exhausted just reading about the baby's antics as each hour in the day passes. Whew! But the illustrations are the star.

One thing I would have liked better is if the father had been included in the story more. It seems like the mother is the one doing everything with the baby during the day (baby wakes her up in the morning, and she puts baby to bed at night) but then Daddy is seen sitting in bed with the mom later on. He just kind of appeared out of the blue.

Spoiler:
I wish the baby had wanted a kiss from both mommy AND daddy, at the end. It was sad seeing the dad yet the baby only asked Mama for a kiss. Since the book is a collaboration by a husband-wife/father-mother team, I expected more there. (And, yes, it's *that* Spike Lee.)

[Lin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the illustrations, not so much the text.

[Emily Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bug LOVES this book. She “reads” it to herself and repeats it when she’s nowhere near the book. The illustrations are super cute, but she also loves the repetition of “please, baby, please” in varying order on every page.

We recently discovered the animated reading by Spike Lee from Nick Jr. on YouTube. Why should Mom read when Spike can?

[Mushi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, now in its third month in pre-bedtime reading, still manages to entertain.

[Breanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

So cute!! Especially the end!

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This reminded me a lot of No David. And I've had plenty of parents tell me how much they hate that book, so I feel like people who hate No, David! might also dislike this one. I, however, like the idea of behind books like this--that even though toddlers hear a lot of "no's" throughout the day, there parents still love them. I do wish that the toddler had called to both Mommy and Daddy in the end (it's really a bummer when daddies get left out of picture books all the time--whenever I try to read one in story time about Mommy kisses or whatever, there's inevitably a Dad there--can't we just be more inclusive and acknowledge that both Mommies and Daddies are important?).

Overall, I thought this was made by Kadir Nelson's (as always) fantastic illustrations. The toddler in here is so well done--working with children I see the mischievous look he captures so well all the time.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read and discussed this in class. Loved it. Thought the baby resembled my nephew (around 1 at the time), so I bought it and brought it home at the end of the semester. He loved it and made sure someone read it to him multiple times before he went to bed. African American Children’s Lit is important!!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable story with good rhythm. Works well with a group. Everyone seems to like the diaper in the toy box page. Reading one-on-one, you can see the clock on each page showing when things happen in Baby's day.

[N.D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased this children's book years ago for my daughter. And it was absolutely wonderful - beautifully drawn and humorously written. A great family read.

[Bianca Orellana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A super cute story made even cuter by the illustrations! My son loved the repetition of "baby baby baby" (because he knows, at this point, that he's a baby, too). A very sweet book.

[Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 20 month old son selected this book by himself in the library. As soon as I saw it I knew exactly what is was going to be about just by looking at the wry smile on the little girl's face on the cover - a cheeky little toddler just like him! We've read it a couple times in the last few nights and we both LOVE IT! First off, the illustrations are very very detailed, beautiful and hilarious. It was shocking how closely the events of this little girl's day match our own! The text is pretty simple, consisting of constant but gentle requests for cooperation, "Please, baby, please!" from the mother that are willfully and adorably disobeyed. The girl's day begins with waking up her poor exhausted mother to play: "Please, baby, please, go back to bed!" A tiny clock in the background tells us that it is 3:01 AM but the toddler is excitedly bouncing on her mother's tummy. There are several books on the couch, a teddy bear, a blanket, a bottle, these all suggest that the girl has been up for a while and the mother has been trying everything to lull her to sleep. By 7:45AM she's dumping cheerios all over her head, and drawing on the wall a few hours later. The mother takes her to the park at noon where she asks "Now hold my hand, please baby please!" but she refuses. When it comes time to leave the mother tries several times to take her home but she has a tantrum. At home she refuses to eat her veggies, sticks her tongue out, makes a mess in her bath, and throws her dirty diaper in her toy box. She is finally tucked in for bed at 7:50 PM, only to come in to her parents' room at exactly 10:00 PM while they're finally spending some alone time. The final scene of the the book has the little girl asking: "Kiss me good night? Mama, Mama, Mama, Please?". The mother tucks her in and gives her a very loving kiss making the girl smile with calmness whereas all her other facial expressions throughout the day had been fresh or sassy. I thought that reversal was so sweet, after a whole day of raising hell, testing limits and pushing her mother away, we see that she still very much needs and loves her mama dearly at the end of the day! I loved this book so much cause my son does the same thing! I'm amazed at how perfectly the illustrator captured key moments of that unique toddler sass we all know and love: like how her body goes limp at the height of a tantrum at the park, or the extreme joy at making a huge mess in the bathtub, the defiant expression when being caught drawing on the wall or throwing her diaper in her toy bin. Every moment between the mother and toddler is exactly what my day is like with my 20 months old son right now, I LOVE IT!

My son brought this book out to his father to read last night, who immediately noticed one of the author's names on the cover: Spike Lee, which until now I hadn't noticed myself. We are not fans of some of Spike Lee's films or his political stance. So my boyfriend was a little uneasy about the book and assumed the book was going to contain an activist agenda. I reassured him not to judge it by its cover (err..author!) Yes we're white, the characters are black,....doesn't matter! My boyfriend's father unfortunately was prejudice, although he himself is not. I was raised to be blind to skin color and we are raising our son the same. This was a perfect book for that because nothing about it is exclusive to African American culture. It's just a book about a mother and her rambunctious toddler. Once he opened the book, my boyfriend turned around and said "Wow! These pictures are very detailed huh?" So I walked away to let them read alone and to my relief I heard them both giggling ALOT. Later he asked if I picked out this book, he knows I spend a lot of time looking for good books (again because it by was Spike Lee). So I told him our son did, he knows I encourage my son to pick books and always check out whatever he chooses. He congratulated him saying: "Great find little man this book is so funny!" It just goes to show that every parent and child share similar experiences no matter what their skin color (or political leanings)! Everything about this story had me saying "Oh my Gosh, that's just like you!" I never want him to think of his books like this: "that book about the little black girl", instead he should think of it as "that book with a kid who's just like me"! In general I always try to select books for my son that feature a wide range of characters and situations so that he has a realistic depiction of the huge world we all live in. Obviously I'm doing something right because he is selecting diverse books on his own! :-)

With that said, whenever I write reviews, I always visit the book's page on Amazon and Goodreads and while doing that I happened to read a few reviews for this book, most of them were very positive. I was curious about what people would say about race, however what was MORE shocking was what people had to say about the parenting depicted in this book! I couldn't help but reference them here!

Most of negative reviews complained that the text speaks negatively and disparagingly to the little girl saying "don't do this, nor that". One reviewer wrote that every interaction is either the mother saying "No don't!" or giving a command with no free choice involved. It is evident from their opinions that these reviews are coming from 'positive parents'. (That is those who believe words like 'no', 'not' and 'don't' should be banned from being used toward children.) I am respectful of many different parenting styles, however not everyone is a follower of that mentality and it is unfair to judge books on whether they subscribe to it or not, since books are often written for a wide audience. Not only that but the extent of the perceived 'negativity' they claim for this particular book has been greatly exaggerated or misinterpreted! Its to the point of one reviewer criticizing the mother for trying to hurry the girl along to leave the park when she stops to pick a flower, or asking her not to have fun in the bath. All of these comments are distorted interpretations that totally missed the point of the book. First off, a close reading of the book shows that the trip to the park lasted close to 4 hours. I noticed this detail RIGHT AWAY. (There is a tiny analog clock given in every illustration.) So, if after 4 hours of trying to coax your child to leave a park, I think the mother has a right to hurry her home to eat dinner. Secondly, one must consider the illustrations! Clearly the child is having so much fun in the bath that the water and soap is everywhere! Also the mother may be asking her to refrain from misbehavior however she is NEVER forcing the girl to do anything, and never punishes her. She always maintains a respectful distance and allows the girl to act on her own free will. There are only two scenes where she touches her at all: while she is having a falling-down-tantrum at the park, and at the end where she snuggles her and kisses her goodnight. Thirdly, the 'negativity' claimed is not even actually prominent. I went back through the book to see how many "negative" words are actually used: 'Dont' 'Not' and 'No' are all only used one time! The mother says 'please', ALOT! All of the requests for cooperation are actually pretty gentle. Finally, the claim that the book contains all commands instead of choices, is a claim that is ignoring the careful and strict poetic structure of the story which necessitates a command structure in order to maintain the poetic rhythm: Every 2 pages rhyme with each other, AND ALMOST ALL 14 SCENES contain exactly 8 words, only 2 contain 7. When you look at it like that the negativity is probably unintentional.

Still other reviews take the opposite critical extreme claiming the parenting depicted is too permissive. This reviewer wrote that she is "a naughty little girl who is never taught to be nice". I think they ignored the part where she asks the child to share, and asks her to stop teasing. Aside from forcing the child to do so, how do you MAKE them be nice? Yes, setting an example would be the right way, but the book's scope was to show that the little girl is adorably defiant. I feel bad that some people don't have an imagination that permits them to assume from the illustrations and the time the mother spends with the child that she is a good parent. Adding pages to show how she corrects the behavior is unnecessary and would make the book really long. Another reviewer asks "the clock on the VCR is reading 3:00 AM; why is the child still up and the t.v. on at that hour??" I want to invite this reviewer to my house for the night! Obviously this child, like mine, is energetic and not tired - sleeping and staying in one's own bed is a very common toddler issue which we face in this household every night! Clearly this person missed several clues that show the mother is desperately trying several things to get the child to sleep as I mentioned above: there are several books on the couch, a teddy bear, a blanket, a bottle...not to mention the large text which says "Go back to bed, baby, please, baby, please." (Emphasis my own). If they were paying attention to the details, we see the mother putting the child to bed at a decent 7:45PM on another page, which is earlier than my own 20-month old's bedtime!

Still other reviewers like this one also acted like this was a bad parent, that treated the little girl like a "nuisance" all day and that the little girl lives a sad reality. This reviewer missed the entire point of the book. Anyone with a toddler as energetic, independent and intelligent as this child seems to be knows that you spend most of the day begging them to cooperate and that its exasperating! I don't think the girl is seen as a nuisance, the mother is never pushy! Not only that but again, the details in the illustrations give tons of evidence that the mother is actually a really good mother. In the very first scene, we see that she has been reading her books and doing different things at 3AM despite being exhausted. She takes the child on a play date, takes her to the park, plays with her constantly, and gives her daughter a very loving kiss and tuck-in to bed. The girl seems to live a very comfortable and happy life: nearly every scene depicts their home as being full of toys and children's books more than I myself own and I consider myself to be very very dedicated to my son! I also already mentioned that the mother spent 4 hours with her in the park - that's more than I have ever spent anywhere with my son. Finally, if we look at the clocks on every page we see that the mother obviously has tried to impose a decent routine with her child. She is very clearly a SAHM whose entire day is pretty much devoted to the little girl. The schedule presented leaves very little room for her to be 'ignoring' the girl and doing other things for herself. And at 10PM when the girl gets out of bed again and asks the mother for a good night kiss, we can tell from their affections that there is a strong bond between them. I have to disagree entirely. I think this mother is actually a very exemplary parent who is very dedicated to the child, in the end it is the girl who is saying "please" which I think kind of proves that the mother DID indeed set a positive example for her daughter.

Finally, many of reviewers who gave this book poor ratings complained that the book encourages bad behavior because like this reviewer who complains her son believes the little girl's acting out is acceptable and tries to mimic it. Another reviewer wrote that her 2 Year Old began pouring cereal on her head BECAUSE of this book. I really have to laugh at all of these reviewers. My son is 20 months old, younger than both of these kids and fully understands that this books is supposed to be funny, he knows the little girl is misbehaving because that's the way I read it to him. This is just like people blaming McDonald's for making their children fat, or rap music for making them violent - its ridiculous! First of all, ALL toddlers engage in willful and defiant behavior. What baby doesn't give sand a try, or throw their food - I mean come on seriously? I highly doubt a child learned these behaviors from a book, they just happened to be erroneously tied to them book, a book which they claim to have read the child one or two times. Secondly, isn't it ALWAYS the parents' job to explain books AND to teach them right from wrong? I mean, the main feature of toddlerhood is defiance, isn't it?! Often toddlers clearly know whats acceptable and what's not and do it anyway to see what happens. MY son KNOWS spitting his tongue at me is wrong yet he still does it to gain a reaction, and seeing the little girl in the book do it is funny to him he knows that it's inappropriate. If these people really blame this book for their child doing what children naturally do, then I'd say these people are probably crappier parents than the fictitious mother in this book whom they are attacking!

Overall this book is darn awesome and hilarious. The whole message of this book is that this child is very defiant and is a handful for the mother, yet they love each other! I want to tell these SANCTI-MOM-IOUS people to re-read it and this time with a freaking sense of humor and attention to details! There is a reason the illustrations are so vivid...its because they reveal clues that either elaborate or defy the text, which is the whole point of picture books in the first place!

[Veronica McFarlin]

This is a really simple and straightforward book. It follows Baby and her family throughout their day, as she makes not so great choices and they have to ask her not to make those choices. There is repetition throughout the book, but it's unique because the words "baby baby baby please" are on every page but the last one, except the order of the words changes from page to page.

I might include this one as a beginning of the year read when we are establishing rules and setting the expectation for good listening. Students can discuss why Baby shouldn't have made the choices she made and how others may have felt when she didn't listen to them. This could help them understand the process of thinking through choices and the importance of listening to directions to keep everyone safe and have a good time. I have some reservations about including it, though, because the purpose of the story is just to point out what the Baby isn't doing right and ask them to stop doing those things.

This would also be a good book to just have on a shelf for students to read because they can follow along and understand just based on the illustrations.

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

My personal favorite to read during pre nap time on days when I am extremely exhausted because it’s fun to do a whinny voice along with this book. The kiddos get a kick out of it and I can let out my frustrations of the day through some pretend (or is it?😂) whining as read this fun book

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read to Rose, our first Saturday morning in the Morris Public Library.

[Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

My baby’s favorite part was, “Mama, mama, mama” 😀

[Nicole Gathany · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute to read to kids!

[Carly Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

An accurate depiction of what a day in the life is like caring for a baby. I am not a mother myself, but I babysit A LOT. Most often, I am with a two year old for the majority of the day. It was so funny how I saw so much of him in this little girl! I feel like I am always using the phrase, "Baby, please." with him in order to get him to do something-or not do something-for me. The illustrations were just incredible. So much emotion is shown on the child's face and it allows the reader to understand exactly how she is feeling without her saying a word. I loved the detail of the time shown on every page. This time aspect invited the reader into the mom and child's day-to-day life, which is something that was so enjoyable to be a part of. This book paints a beautiful picture of what parenting is, in terms of grace and sacrifice. The whole book the mother is asking the baby to "Please do this," or "Please don't do this," while the baby just does as she pleases without caring what the mother is asking for. At the end the baby requests for the mother to come kiss her goodnight and without hesitation the mother gets out of bed to come to her. Very heartwarming when I think of all the times my parents have chosen to love me regardless of how often I obeyed them. My only gripe with this book is the fact that the dad is very uninvolved. To me, it was a sad portrayal of how the wives are supposed to be the caretakers, while the husbands are out and generally uninvolved in the child's life. I would have liked to have seen more partnership is taking care of the child and for the child to desire the father to kiss her too.

[Megan Ewald · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is a rhyming book that goes through the baby's day and the different things he does. On each page you see him doing something naughty followed by his mother stepping in to say something. This book also helps to tell the time of day it is with a clock at the beginning of each sentence on the naughty pages. The illustrations and story are very well organized and clearly present.

I love this book and how it is told. The clock is a great added feature to help students run through the day. It is also going over all naughty actions and how they are not appropriate. I love the illustrations and content in this book too. They are so clear and very well done. This is a great book to read to students to practice telling time, rhyming or demonstrating positive behaviors. It is a short and simple reading that is so fun!

[Sarah Fowler Wolfe · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a book for parents, not for kids. The illustrations are beautiful and that almost made me give it a second star. But it's all things I don't want my daughter to emulate (dumping food, drawing on walls, throwing a tantrum, eating sand) wound up with an aww moment. It's adorable for parents. But kids don't need to see horrible behavior or hear throughout a parent's exasperation with normal kid stuff. Very much NOT recommended.

[Arielle Hitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book by Spike Lee tells the story of what it is like to be a parent. The baby will constantly bother them, but they love him anyways. Kadir Nelson uses lots of details to show how the baby grows up. The characters are the baby and his parents. I give this book four stars because it is a funny story about being a parent and raising a baby!

[Peter Gehred · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book has 107 words. Fifty of those are either "baby" or "please."

Please, please, God, no.

This is a book so bad, it cannot even be rescued by the talented director and author's reading of it. You can experience the book without buying (Thank God, yes please) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wdyk7...

[Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter immediately took to Spike Lee's legendary catch phrase, the adorable narrative which seemed to be written specifically about her, and the fantastic illustrations. I'm really glad I found this book and only wish I had learned of it sooner.

[Christian Padgett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please, Baby, Please is a book that is good to use for very young children due to its repetition. It could also be used to talk about families with young kids. Over all this is very enjoyable read and easy one as well.

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely one of the better children's book written by a celebrity. The illustrations by Kadir Nelson are hilarious and beautiful. Anyone who's spent time around a toddler can appreciate this delightful book.

[jacky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most likely this is another book that parents like to read to their children, but our story time librarian today framed it as a great book for older siblings to learn about babies. It was accurate, but really is more about toddlers.

[Davonni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful read! It perfect for younger children grades Pre-K through first grade. It is great for teaching responsibility and following directions. The pictures are also very detailed and colorful.

[Raevin Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very cute. It teaches children the use of manners and using the word please. The pictures are simple but cute and children enjoy them and find them amusing. This is a very great book on how children should be acting and what they shouldn't do.

[Earl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd been wanting to read this since I'm always curious when celebrities write books. Cute book about how much of a handful a baby can be. Kadir Nelson's illustrations alone are worth picking up this book.

[Selena · Rating 4 out of 5]

2002, Multi-cultural. Please, baby, please goes through the daily life of this baby and all they're learning to do as they grow. Very adorable, and illustrated very well. Good read for a student with younger siblings or a good read-aloud.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gift book for new parents of a daughter, or siblings of a baby sister. This is a humorous look a the mischief and messes made by babies. Repeated words make this appealing for early readers also. Discussion possibility: Is "please" really the best way to get baby to learn appropriate behavior?