Where's Baby?

by Anne Hunter

Papa Fox is looking for Baby Fox, who is just out of his sight . . . but not ours! An adorable, interactive read-aloud for fans of Are You My Mother?

In this clever introduction to prepositions, a near-sighted Papa is looking for his baby. Is Baby up in the tree? Is Baby under the log? Is Baby around the corner? Where could Baby be?

Readers will delight in spotting the little fox on every page as Papa wanders the forest, encountering other animals all along the way, but never quite able to spot his own baby. Anne Hunter's delicate and lovely illustrations with their limited palette highlight the humor of this adorable hide-and-seek tale.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Storytime, Childrens, Family, Humor, Fiction

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 7, 2020

About the author

Anne Hunter is an illustrator and children's book author. Most of her books are nature related. She was born in South Florida but now makes her home in Vermont.

Reviews

[Dorie - Cats&Books :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

***NOW AVAILABLE***

This is one of the cutest, most eye catching books for the very young that I have read in a very long while. The story is the universal hide and seek theme but done in such a clever way. The illustrations are incredibly appealing and had my 3 year old granddaughter giggling. The animals are all in areas where one would normally find them in nature and I loved that little reality in this book. I think this one will become a classic!

The littlest ones will have fun going back over the pages to find where baby was hiding on every page, once they know what to look for!!!

I would highly recommend this for any child ages 1 to about 3. Really great little book for every toddler's library.

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley.
This book publishes January 7, 2020

[Mel (Epic Reading) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is absolutely adorable! Any child, of any age will love learning to find the baby hiding on every page. While Where's Baby? is very simple with it's words and illustrations; it just feels perfect. I could imagine a small child (2-4 years old I'm thinking) sitting with this book and flipping the pages with squeals each time they find the baby.
Not a bedtime story in my mind, but a great book for the playroom.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable story about a papa fox searching for his "missing" baby.





Little ones should have a blast finding the little red fox in each illustration.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wanna play hide & seek?

Readers follow along as Papa Fox looks high and low for Baby. *whispers* I think Papa knows where Baby is all along, but don’t tell Baby. It’s such a simple concept, but oh-so much fun. Papa calling out, “Ba-by!” and getting all sorts of responses from up in the trees to under the water. Owls, bears, skunks, and more all make appearances. Young readers will giggle their way through. It’s fun trying to find Baby on the pages. Sometimes all we see are ears or a tail and other times Baby gives us a wave. :)

A cute read filled with gorgeous art. Art filled with texture and depth. The ballpoint pen illustrations look etched into the paper. The fur, grass, and reeds look as if they’re swaying. It’s stunning! Baby’s dash of color pulls you in and along from page to page. Plus the look in Baby’s eyes made me smile more than once. So cute!

Highly recommended. I keep going back to read this one again and again.

Check this one out!

[Ms. B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can children find Baby Fox before Papa Fox? Text and pictures go together to make a fun read for all ages!

[La Coccinelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where's Baby? is about an oblivious fox who's trying to find his offspring. It's not quite clear whether Papa knows Baby is hiding nearby and is just humouring the kid, but in any case, Baby thinks it's quite the clever game, and the reader gets to see their reactions as Papa encounters various creatures that are definitely not a baby fox.

The book does sort of work as an introduction to various prepositions, but little kids will probably be more interested in trying to pick out Baby in each of the illustrations. Sometimes it's obvious... but other times, the little fox is a bit more hidden. The limited colour palette (mainly black and white with a blue sky) is used to great effect, making the orange baby fox stand out.

The story is simple, but I can see this appealing to very young children.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tundra Books (NY) for providing a digital ARC.

[Deborah]

When my youngest was a baby, she used to put a blanket on her head and wait for someone to notice. Then, as soon as we said, "Where's Lucie?!" she'd start shaking, pull the blanket off her head, and squeal.

That universal game. Presented fresh... that's this book. Without being the slightest bit cloying (a feat in itself), it's totally charming.

[Etienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The dad might be the dumbest dad of children book, but this is a good one. The illustrations have a very pretty and calm vibes in it, a softness. The story is light, but it allows you to play some sort of search and find with the baby in every page, easily enough to find, but young children will probably laugh finding it and seeing that the dad doesn't. Well executed!

[Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an adorable story about a missing baby fox with a hide and seek component. It's simple enough that young ones can find the baby, making it engaging instead of frustrating. The illustrations are wonderful!

This unbiased review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where's Baby? is a delightful picture book. Parents and little ones will enjoy following along as Papa Fox searches high and low for his baby. The story is very simple and the pictures are adorable. Kids will love spotting where baby is on each page. If you liked Are You my Mother? as a child you will enjoy Where's Baby? as a parent.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an advance reader copy.

[Laura Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super clever and engaging picture book. Great toddler title with the dearest illustrations. Children will love it!

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where's Baby?
Silly Papa, he looks UP and DOWN and OVER and UNDER and INSIDE and OUTSIDE...Where could baby be?

A fun way to introduce prepositions.

[Jan Polep · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute hide and seek picture book with Baby Fox near perfection at hiding. Kids don't have to know how to read to enjoy this one and could lead to some fun times hiding, no matter your age.

[Kasey Gilbert Poindexter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Papa Fox can't find Baby anywhere! He looks in the trees, under the water, and around the bend, but still can't find his sly little Baby.

I love the contrasting colors in this book. This is a PERFECT book for storytime. I just did a Fox themed storytime and really struggled to find a books that weren't super text heavy, that toddlers and preschoolers could enjoy. The kids would really like this book and love trying to find Baby on each page. I'll be adding this to my Fox storytime book list for sure!

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Papa Fox searches for Baby Fox who is behind him the entire time.

This book features the incompetent father trope, which some caregivers, such as my husband, may find offensive. But young readers will enjoy the dramatic irony in knowing something the main character does not.

[Tracie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Papa Fox searches everywhere for Baby Fox in this guessing-game story sure to make tiny humans giggle. Perfect for reading aloud to toddlers and young preschoolers, and a wonderful independent read for beginning readers.

[Jamie Isaacs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this book in the University of Kentucky’s Education Library. This picture storybook was published in 2020. Within the story, a mama and papa fox are frantically searching for their baby, who has wandered off. The cover contains a fox asking “Where’s Baby”, and has the baby fox peeking out from behind a branch in the cover’s upper hand corner. This cover somewhat gives a preview into what this story could be about- a missing baby fox. The images within the story are all sky blue and light gray, however, the baby fox is orange. It’s almost as if this was intentional, so that readers would focus on finding the baby fox. The book's images are symmetrical to the words, meaning that they are related to the words on that page. For example, one page says “Baby! Are you inside the log”, and has images of the papa fox shouting into a log, while the baby fox is hiding behind a rock. We also see a skunk tail poking out of the log, reiterating the fact that the baby fox is not in the log. I think the concept of this book was sweet, as all parents (human or animal) would search for their child if they went missing. However, I think the book gets a bit repetitive, and could’ve been a few pages shorter. I think my favorite aspect of this book is the fact that readers can see the baby fox on each page, while the papa fox is searching for him. I also love the ending (spoiler alert!), in which it is revealed that the baby fox was purposefully hiding, as he thought it was a game. If I were to recommend this book to kids, I would suggest it for the younger Elementary aged kids- grades K-2. I think they would enjoy this book for a story time, and it could be used to teach them about patterns. Although you could read this book to grades 3-5, they may get bored of the repetitive story line. Overall, I gave this book ⅘ stars, as it contains appropriate content and images for kids, and has a sweet message.

[Storywraps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Papa Fox and his adorable little pup are playing a game that most kids are familiar with... hide-and-seek.

"Have you seen Baby, Mama Fox?"
"Why, Baby must be somewhere, Papa Fox."

He heads off into the forest hunting down his adventurous little guy. Papa looks indoors, outside, inside a log, over the hill, under the water, down a hole, up in a tree, and around the bend, asking a variety of animals if they might have seen his clever little son who seems to have become invisible and completely disappeared. The animals assure him that no, to their knowledge they have not seen Baby Fox.

Finally Papa comes full circle and arrives once again back home. He could no find his little one for the life of him. He asks Mama Fox,

" Mama Fox, I can't find Baby anywhere."
" Have you looked behind you, Papa Fox?"

Ta! Da! Baby Fox is now visible to Papa. He IS right behind him. Papa scoops him up in a big Daddy hug and Baby breaks into a huge smile. I wonder why? What have those sly Foxes been up to?

This is an interactive read-aloud where prepositions are introduced. Kids will love spotting Baby Fox and outfoxing Papa. The illustrations are sweet. Baby is easy to target because of his pointy ears and orange-coloured body against the pale, muted pallette. Kids will love to re-read the book again and again so they can participate in the hide-and-seek game that Papa and Baby are engaged in. I highly recommend this book.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked it. The art is very cute, all sharp ink lines and muted colors except for baby, always present albeit sometimes only a little on each page, who is bright orange red. I like the main character foxes and how they were able to remain distinct characters. Mama fox is darker around the muzzle and her whiskers turn up instead of down, so it is easy to tell them apart without resorting to any personifications of jewelry or long eyelashes. On a personal note, my kids call their dad Papa (not daddy) and are always happy to see childrens books where the dad is Papa.

The repeated lines as Papa Fox looks for baby bring to mind Are You My Mother?, but if your child is extra sensitive they will be aware that the baby bird is actually lost and in danger, whereas with this one, Papa may or may not be playing a hiding game with baby, but at least Mama Fox saw baby and knows where they are the whole time. It seems like a little thing, but there are days with my little ones where I know they feel a little extra fragile and don't want anything but safe exploration.

I liked the art a lot, especially this take on mostly bipedal but still not anthropomorphized foxes (I like foxes when they get to be long boys) and want to see this illustrator on a lot more books.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This adorable children’s book will get high praises from little ones as they find little brown fox on each two-page spread as Papa Fox searches everywhere for him. I, personally loved the illustrations inside this book, which were created with just a few colors and detailed uses of lines. Little Fox is the only object in this book that is brown whereas everything else in this book is set against the blue and white sky is either black, white or shades of these two colors.

Papa Fox or Mama Fox don’t know where Baby Fox went, so Papa Fox sets off searching for Baby. He first checks inside their den and then, he searches a variety of places. I liked that it’s a call and response each time that he looks somewhere because children enjoy these books typically. With repetitive readings, they could read this book with you as they take on the role of Papa Fox or the individuals that Papa Fox meets on his adventure looking for Baby. I also think this would be a great book to read to a small child as Papa Fox says, “Ba-by! Are you_______?” each time that he searches in a new spot. Papa Fox sure does look everywhere: up, down, inside, over, under, around, etc. but he just can’t find Baby. Meanwhile, Baby Fox is having fun watching his Papa Fox call out Baby, as he hides from him. Will Papa Fox ever be able to find his Baby?

Super cute book with fantastic illustrations that has a variety of animals inside it. I think little ones will enjoy this one.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Where's Baby? is a sweetly illustrated hunt-and-find short read for babies to the youngest readers. Due out 7th Jan 2020 from Penguin Random House Canada, it's 40 pages and will be available in hardcover format.

Papa Fox is having a hard time finding Baby. His searches take him all over, but without success. He comes back home and finally finds Baby. The art and text, done in ballpoint ink and colored pencils is beautifully detailed, whimsical, and appealing. Artist/author Anne Hunter has a lovely and appealing style which will entertain and engage. Papa encounters a number of characters on his search for Baby which will also provide adult readers with a nice selection for silly character voices when reading.

This is a sweet and interactive book for bonding with even the smallest readers and revisiting over and over. It will likely become a favorite. It would make a good library or kindergarten class or reading circle selection as well as a read-to-me or bedtime story.

Five stars. Really a beautiful little book.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book immediately brought to mind, "Are You My Mother" with the lost baby bird. In this story, Papa Fox is looking for his baby. He looks in the trees, under the water, and around the bend, but still can't find his sweet, playful, little Baby. Fortunately for him, Mama Fox always knows where her baby is. I loved the illustrations of this story. Most of the image is in muted tones, done in simple format, but there is always a part of Baby Fox in bright, orange tones. I can just imagine a little one "finding" the baby on each page. The text was easy to read and I can see older siblings showing off their emergent reading skills reading this to their parents or younger siblings. Overall, just a cute story that would delight young children. A great choice for family libraries, kindergarten classrooms and public libraries. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.

[Erin *BookDragon_Library* · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reminds me of a toddler who likes to play hide and seek and the parents to pretend they can’t see the toddler while they are looking. The baby fox is always just out of sight of the father. I like how the baby fox is in orange and everything else is black and white. I think kids will have fun trying to spot the baby fox and laughing at the anticipation of animals the fox is running into like the skunk hiding in the log or are you just see his tail. I’m not quite sure the age of child this would appeal to sense the game that is portrayed is for kids probably ages 2 to 4. I think it is a cute addition for Library’s that have preschool and kindergarten as students. I don’t know if I’d have a great appeal to second graders and above. I do think kids and joy picture books that have a consistent had an image on page as though kind of like Goodnight Moon and trying to find the mouse on every page.

[Primavera Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a 2020 Geisel Award Honor Book which resembles Are You My Mother written by P.D. Eastman. This book follows a mother and father fox as they go around asking various animals in various places if they have seen their baby. In the end, it is all a game of hide n seek to the baby fox. The illustrations help upkeep the trickery of the baby fox by hiding him in each image of the book; this reflects the idea of “hiding in plain sight”. The images within this book hold a great deal of texture. The grass, as well as the fur on the foxes, looks realistic in terms of it being spiked and sharp. Texture is a large element in terms of this picture book. For the classroom, teachers could use this book to show readers how things can be hidden in plain sight. An art teacher could use this book to show how a simple stroke of a pen or pencil could change the realism of an object. Texture and line work are very predominant within this story and can teach the students the value of lines.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Offhand, I've never seen a picture book better designed to offset separation fears belonging to a child of picture book age. Plus, clearly, this book offers linguistic benefits.

The mystery of finding baby: What could be a more compelling topic for a reader of picture book age.

Actually, that question is the stuff of nightmares for many a parent. Personally, I had terrifying dreams for years when I'd be doing something normal and then a thought would strike me: "Where's Matty?" Because somehow I had left him somewhere. Who was taking care of him now?"

BETWEEN THE TEXT AND THE PICTURES, WHAT A FINE WORKOUT FOR USING PREPOSITIONS

Under?
Over?

There are so many ways that prepositions can help us to find a missing baby. Or missing anything. Or else help us to simply to be understood as an English speaker.

Bravo and FIVE STARS to author and illustrator Anne Hunter for this clever education and compelling story.

[Sydney Norris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book I read for shelf 5 was Where’s Baby? By Anne Hunter. This book was published in 2020 and won the Geisel Award in 2021. This story is about a Papa Fox who is looking for his baby. On each page, the Papa Fox is looking somewhere different and talking to a different animal. What he doesn’t realize is that the baby is very close to him every step of the way. The illustrations in this book are very important because they allow children to look for the baby fox. This book would be a benefit for teachers to have in their classrooms because not only is it a good read, but students can play a game with it while they read it.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Papa Fox goes around looking for Baby, but Mama Fox and readers know exactly where Baby is if they look carefully.

This is a fun little game of hide-n-seek that Mom is in on, but Dad isn't (though he might be if he looked around more). The reactions of the other animals Papa Fox asks range from bored to humorous. I like the way color is used in this, with just the blue of the sky and the reddish-brown of Baby's fur, and everything else in black and white. Beginning readers can catch on to the pattern and "read" Papa Fox's lines, and they should have fun spotting Baby Fox when Papa Fox is so clueless.

[Essie (Sarah) · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know, this one is one that I like fine, but the kid I babysit every Friday loves this to the high heavens. He is absolutely obsessed. He doesn’t even own this book and he is always talking about it. I guess his family checked it out from the library and he chooses it every time they go. Every time I visit and he hasn’t rechecked the book, he is sure to tell me about how sad he is that he will not be reading it that night.

He likes acting out the characters, so that’s part of the fun for him. Whenever I think of this book, I think of him, saying in a low, echoing voice, “Baaaaaaaabbbyyy! Are you down in the hoooollleeeee?” while searching around his room. It’s pretty stinking cute.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Papa fox is looking everywhere for baby fox, but he just can't find the baby!

"Where's Baby" is a darling picture book that tells more in the pictures than it does in the text. Someone is in all the places papa looks, but none of them are baby (baby is nearby, Papa just isn't looking there). A fun example of prepositional phrases - up a tree, in a log, over the hill, around the bend etc. Super fun!

Crossposted to: https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first impression of this picture book was "it's ok." I got it from the library because it was a 2021 Geisel Honor Book and I wanted to check it out. I shared it with my grandson who is 16 months old and he loved it! At a closer look, the illustrations are wonderful and I could see kids and their adult readers having some real fun with this book. Limited text and repetition of words along with the illustrations really make this a great book for beginning readers. I can understand why it caught the attention of the Geisel committee this past year.