More More More, Said the Baby

by Vera B. Williams

From beneath the tickles, kisses, and unfettered affection showered on them by grownups, the children in Vera B. Williams' Caldecott Honor Book cry out for more more more! The stars of three little love stories - toddlers with nicknames like "Little Pumpkin" - run giggling until they are scooped up by adoring adults to be swung around, kissed, and finally tucked into bed.
Quirky watercolor drawings and colorful text feature multiethnic families, and young readers will rejoice in seeing the center of all the attention: the wiggly, chubby, irresistible toddlers.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Family, Fiction, Cultural, Realistic Fiction, Storytime

28 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Graduate of Black Mountain College, North Carolina, where she majored in graphic art. In her own words, she has "done graphic art, school teaching, children-raising [she has two daughters and a son], has run a bakery and been a cook in schools and restaurants." (from back flap of book)

Vera B. Williams is the winner of the 2009 NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature.

You can read much more about this author here or here

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is for young children who will still enjoy reading about toddlers. It has 3 parts about 3 different children. They all play with their parents and they want more. It has bright pastel colors and they are gouache paintings. Each baby is of a different race, which is nice.

I’m not sure why it’s Caldecott material, it’s a good book, but I don’t see how it stands above other books.

The nephew was indifferent and the niece was bored with this book. It was way below them. They both gave it 1 star.

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know that Vera B. Williams' More More More Said the Baby won a Caldecott Honour Medal, but personally, I just do not like either the text or the accompanying illustrations all that much (I guess can to a certain point appreciate both effort and sentiment, but the end product of More More More Said the Baby feels rather majorly lacking to and for me). Yes, the illustrations are definitely bright, colourful and full of joyful movement, but frankly, I find some of them weird, creepy and strange in nature. And while I would not necessarily call them inappropriate, especially the picture of the father repeatedly kissing his little boy on his exposed belly button leaves a rather strange taste in my mouth, as does the depiction of the grandmother "tasting" Little Pumpkin's toes (now don't get me wrong, I actually do not think there is anything wrong with these behaviours themselves, but the visuals, the pictures of said actions, feel a bit uncanny and potentially disturbing, at least for me).

The accompanying narrative of More More More Said the Baby reads sweetly and humorously, but also often rather tediously, with an unnatural and painfully awkward lyricism (and is actually also kind of hard to read at times, as it seems to blend right into the illustrations, somewhat reducing reading ease, especially if one requires reading glasses or has even minor issues with visual contrast). And while I personally have no major (no huge) issues and complaints regarding the fact that the text is presented by Vera B. Williams in what one would and should likely label as colloquial American slang, many of the most negative, critical reviews of More More More Said the Baby quite take umbrage at the fact that proper grammatical forms are at times lacking (and although I consider this criticism more than a bit extreme and over the top, I also do believe that the slangy discourse of More More More Said the Baby is part of the reason, the text, the printed words do have the tendency to feel forced and awkward in places).

Now even with my issues and criticisms of More More More Said the Baby, I actually much appreciate that Vera B. Williams has depicted an ethnically diverse set of babies, and that the second baby, Little Pumpkin, while clearly African American, obviously has a Caucasian grandmother, a fact brilliantly shown by and with the illustrations, but not in any way ever textually belaboured or extensively analysed; it is simply presented as natural, as a given. And I truly find it more than a bit sad that there are actually quite a number of critical (ranting) reviews on especially Amazon that appear both shocked and rabidly angrily aghast at the fact that Little Pumpkin is African American while his or her grandmother is not (and some of these so-called reviews could sadly be straight out of a National Socialist guidebook on "racial purity"). Two and a half stars if half stars were possible for More More More Said the Baby, rounded up to three stars for effort and for the fact that multi-ethnicity and multiculturalism are so naturally and lovingly depicted!

[Kristen Kohle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book Is actually three short stories all in one. Each story is similar to one another, but features three different children and their lives. This book portrays diversity in a few ways, which allows for many different children to be able to make connections. This book also has an element of repetition which is fun for students as well as helps their fluency. One last element of this book worth pointing out is the use of color. The pages are different colors, the words are different colors, different patterns are even mixed in. That alone should be enough to pull in and keep the attention of younger students. Overall this book is different from many picture books, but in a good way. I can see this book being used for a variety of reasons in the classroom.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe it was the fact that the illustrations aren't really my style, but I didn't really care for the book all that much. Also, it's compiled of three stories, all similar with only slight variations. I think the idea is really cute but perhaps not executed as well as it could have been.

Ages: 1 - 4

Cleanliness: nothing to note.

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[Fjóla · Rating 2 out of 5]

May be a good book for the youngest ones. It touches on the most familiar, the repetitive play between the baby and their loved ones. It's void of humor though, and doesn't even try to do something funny with the story, such as in Pete's a Pizza for instance, but (if it holds the infant's interest) it may be good for that special moment of lap reading and bonding between mother/father/caregiver and child ...

[Lynn Plourde · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book feels like a snuggly hug, snuggly hug, snuggly hug. Want more, more, more of this book love. Mmmm, mmmmm, mmmmm! I love the rhythm, the repetition, the rainbow colors, and the rainbow of people in this book. Timeless!

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 2 out of 5]

Three dull and bizarre stories accompanied by primitive illustrations. How could anyone think this worthy of an award?

[Shiloah · Rating 2 out of 5]

My family wasn’t impressed

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This early reader Caldecott picturebook is designed for young children. It is made for parents to read to their infant children, or for kids to practice reading themselves. This book sends a happy/loving message. The book consists of three love stories between babies and their caretaker. The best part of the book is that it is so simple that everyone can relate to it. The first baby is a little boy with his dad, the second a girl with her grandma, and the third a girl with her mom. All three caretakers point out their favorite thing about their baby and sing a little song about it.

What makes this book so unique is the colors, lines, and paint. The colors presented on the front cover are the only colors used throughout the book. This makes the book fun to look at, and not overwhelming to the reader. The lines in the artwork creates movement/action. An example of this would be the dad throwing his son up, so the lines angled upwards. The paint used looked like water colors which made the colors blend so well. There were boarders on each page that fit the theme of the story.

[Tatiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Vera B. Williams, her sincere story telling, and of course, her distinctive gouche painting, picture frame-style illustrations. I remember this book from when I was young, but it is always different reading picture books as an adult. Now I see a treasure of a story about three little babies and their loving caregivers. The repetition within the narrative and the drawings of babies will captivate young listeners, and the message will warm the hearts of parent readers.

[Amy S · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books to read when I was teaching very young children in a low socioeconomic school. Repetitive phrases they loved, helped with becoming familiar with words and the rhythm of reading. I loved that the pictures depicted multicultural families they could relate to. It’s a good book for bedtime, I would read it before rest time (back when they still had rest time) in a quiet, peaceful, rhythmic voice. They would ask for this book over and over again. Good memories!

[Stefanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't decide which is creepier: the art or the story.

[elissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

No idea why I have never added this to my list of books! Love this! Colorful and fun to read aloud.

[Petra Fuentes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this picture book title in our class module in the Caldecott Award link. More More More Said the Baby by Vera B. Williams received the award in 1991. I read this picture book in softcover format. This picture book is about multiethnic families who carry, tickle, kiss, and tucked in for bed. The theme is love and how families show affection to their child. The vibrant watercolors bring enthusiasm to the picture book. It has very minimal text, it can be a read aloud to preschoolers and kindergartners. It can definitely be included in a classroom library. This book with my unit on families. It can be used to compare cultures and how there are many similarities.

[Raven · Rating 2 out of 5]

No, no, no said the reader. Horrifying artwork paired with a not great story.

[Hailey Koyne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever wanted a good juvenile book to read to you littles? This one is it! The book follows three different babies; Little Guy, Little Pumpkin, Little Bird. I feel like this book is more for a daycare setting than a school setting. It represents diversity through the children, but also shows the adults as different races from the children. Which can bring up a good topic to talk about that not every parent has the same skin color as their children and that is okay. I suggest adding this book to your shelves!

[Rebecca Zadick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have chosen to give "More More More Said the Baby" 3.5 stars because it is a beautifully illustrated book that portrays the parent-child relationship in all of its glory. It received the Caldecott Honor for its illustrations, which are very impressive, vibrant, and quite literally bursting with color. Each page that you turn to is more colorful than the page before it, which is a great technique when it comes to keeping the attention of the very young readers for which the book is intended. The images appear to be done in watercolor and they represent a modern-folk style because although they are realistic pictures, they are also somewhat aged. The front cover is a single page image portraying the three babies followed throughout the story. They are surrounded by the bright colored block letters of the title, and they sit on a contrasting background of darker colors. From looking at the cover, readers will immediately know that there are bright color awaiting them in the pages ahead. There are end pages that are bright pink with multicolored polka dots on the very first and very last pages, which act as a great buffer between the cover and the title page. The title page is a blue watercolor-painted background with the title presented yet again in color block letters. These block letters continue throughout the entire story because the text is kept very short and simple. Some of the pages have borders around them, which are also painted in watercolor with various colored polka dots. The back cover is a white page with a blue border and black printed text describing more of the author"s work. The book is intended for very young readers, aging from 1 to 7 years, which is exactly the age range that I would choose to read it to. However, I would most likely read this book to young toddlers because they would be able to see images of children who look like them. They would also see the parent-child relationship and be able to relate that to their own parent relationships. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to parents with young children and anyone who appreciates quality art.

[Jessica Burtness · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vera B. Williams makes wonderful use of the space she has in this book. In all three of her short stories, we see the painting of a baby and their guardian, but each of these settings is surrounded by a different style of frame. The use of the frame almost gives the perspective that we are looking into each of these character's lives through a window, catching just a glimpse of what their happy lives are like. The use of the frame and taking up the full space of the page with color unifies the stories and gives them another common ground besides the characters having similar interactions. Her use of space throughout the rest of the image is well balanced, no one frame seems too cluttered or stressed, they are all simple with the characters as the main focus which gives a relaxed and carefree feel to the book as a whole.
Another important aspect that Williams uses in this book is color. The outermost frame in each image for each story is the same one or two colors, which unifies and differentiates each story, emphasizing that they are three different families. In addition to this, the background colors used in the first two stories are warm colors, but the last story is about a sleeping child and Williams switches to using cool colors; Williams uses pinks and reds to signify energy, and blue to signify calm and sleep. Colors play a key roll in our interpretation of a book, and William's color choice is well thought out. Bright colors are incorporated in the clothing choice of all of the characters to help them stand out, and are also used to surround the active children to give the scene an overall sense of excitement and happiness. Cool colors are used in the last story to give the scene a feeling of calm and comfort. Overall, Vera B. Williams was very methodical in her approach to this story, and her color choice and use of space improve the already wonderful and happy story by bringing it to life.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vera Williams' More More More Said the Baby is a lovable story that shares the close, loving bond between three different children and their family members like the father, grandmother, and mother. Williams' art is more in line with realism due to the recognizable, realistic-looking features and proportion of the body. The illustrations throughout the book are colorful with complementary colors that also indicate the setting's mood. For example, for Little Guy's story, the background had oranges and yellows to fit with the playful concept between father and son whereas Little Bird's story had a background that had blue and purple tones that fit with a more serene setting as this particular character happens to be asleep during her part of the story. With the borders around the pictures, readers feel as if they were an onlooker witnessing the tender moments shared between family members. She also adds transition pages to separate the different characters' stories as they are not related narratives. The book is full of motion and colors that you wouldn't think it would be a unified literary work, but the colorful text she uses throughout the book is the same and the stories follow similar sentence structures and repetitive use of certain words. Overall, it's a book I would read to a certain audience like family to share a feel-good moment, but I wouldn't read to students because of the particular grammatical structure that would not make sense to students learning more strict grammar structures.

[Arhely · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was written and illustrated by Vera B. Williams. It received the Caldecott Honor Award of 1991.

Main characters: Little Guy, Little Pumpkin, and Little Bird.

The book contains three stories that describe the loving relationship between Little Guy and his father; Little Pumpkin and grandma; and Little Bird and her mother. Little Guy’s father catches the baby and swings him around. They laugh and play. Little Pumpkin’s grandmother catches the baby and they hold nose to nose. They hug and play. Little Bird is sleeping and her mother rocks her in different ways and gives her kisses. The babies want "more, more, more."

There letters are hand painted with different colors and the illustrations contain vibrant colors. There are borders around each page and each story has the same border and edge color. The book is illustrated with watercolors. There is texture and composition that create balance.

This book is recommended for young readers. Teachers can use it as a read-out-loud.

Sources:
1. Children and Youth literature class
2. Barnesandnoble.com
3. C. Temple, M. Martinez, J. Yokota, Children’s Books in Children’s Hands, Fifth Edition, Loose leaf version, Pearson, 2015.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my absolute favorite style of illustration, but the pictures and the emotions depicted by the happy (even gleeful!) children are precious. The three repetitive stories are sweet, and the diversity and representation of different races and genders is important because it's inclusive. The vivid primary color scheme appeals to readers young and old. I'm always looking for books like this that I can recommend to parents and their children in our library. I discovered this one because it is mentioned in a recent book club selection for my group, Books for Living by Will Schwalbe. A Caldecott Honor book for 1991.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about not just one, but three babies, each with a different nickname and a very affectionate and loving relative. Little Guy’s daddy kisses his belly button, Little Pumpkin’s grandmother tastes his toes, and Little Bird’s mother kisses her eyes. The three “chapters” of the book follow the same formula, with lots of repeated phrases perfect for toddler listeners, but each child is a unique being, representing different family dynamics, races, and lifestyles. I might give this one a try at story time now that I actually know what it’s about!

Read at Baby/Toddler Lap Time on 5/11/12: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

[Blair Stewart · Rating 2 out of 5]

Summary:
More More More Said the Baby is about three children named, Little Guy, Little Pumpkin, Little Bird. It is a repetitive book that is about three different babies and the relationships that they have with different family members. The book uses the same words like more, more, more, right in the middle, right in the middle, right in the middle and catches that baby right up.

Review:
I would rate this book a 2 out of 5 stars due to the fact that it is very repetitive and mentally I was not very engaged to the content of the book.

Teaching Element:
I would use this book to teach repetition to younger ages. I would use this book to teach repetition.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun story to read aloud to young children. Colorful illustrations and a rhythmic narrative that are sure to appeal to children of all ages. We really enjoyed reading this book together.

This book was selected as one of the books for the August 2016- Caldecott Honor discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.

[Lindi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite book to buy for new parents. Three short stories are linked with the refrain of "'More, more, more,' said the baby." The families are diverse, the illustrations are colorful and happy, the words are poetry and could easily be turned into little songs. (Did you do that? I sure did -- turned some of our favorite picture books into songs.) Until today I had only seen it as a board book.

[SamZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

1991 Caldecott Honor - Favorite Illustration: The page where Little Pumpkin is sitting on his grandma's lap and she is holding him close. It is so sweet and the love between them is beautiful.
This is a cute little story of the joys of playing with toddlers. Lots of fun to be had running and scooting and snuggling and tickling. It makes me miss having a toddler in the house.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories are perfect for very young children. Short and sweet, and showing the grownups' love for the children. However, I did not like the illustrations at all; just not a style that appeals to me. The faces were too distorted for my taste.

[Kaethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A favorite board book for both babies, back in the day when we read those.

[A'Niye Hyde · Rating 3 out of 5]

More More More Said The Baby by author Vera B. Williams is a 1991 Caldecott Honor Award Winner. The style of this book was to entertain the readers, but also to showcase the love and affection between caregivers and children. Throughout the book, you will find that every baby finds the resolution to their problems through the loving presence and playful engagement of their caregivers, who provide them comfort and attention. On pages five and six you’ll notice a spread that shows a son and father playing. The illustrations go perfectly with the text and show how much fun they’re having. You can tell that Vera wanted her illustrations to make exactly what you’d envision from the text. Also, on pages twenty-seven and twenty-eight, you’ll notice a moment of cuddling between a mother and daughter where the baby is wrapped in the arms of her mother. The softness of the purple colors on the pages and the gentle expressions on their faces can bring comfort to the readers. Together these two spreads can help with bringing the theme and style of the story together. Overall, this book captures the importance of playful affection and the special bond between children and their loved ones. However, I didn’t enjoy reading it as it wasn’t exciting but I think younger children roughly around three or four might like it.

[Shiyi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title of this book is very eye-catching, More More More Said the Baby. There are also three illustrations from different ethnic groups on the cover, and each child is in a different position, very interesting. The first impression I gave to this book was good because there were many different ethnic babies on the cover, which meant equality and tolerance. The last page of this book is similar to the home page.
This book is actually a combination of three different stories, each with similarities but differences. The difference is that the lifestyle, background, and people of the three children are different. This is a good way to introduce diversity and diversity. I think the interesting thing about this book is that many words are made up of different colors that can catch the attention of the children, but I don't think it is convenient to read. The structure of this book is very diverse, with one page and one illustration, one page, and two illustrations, or two pages and one illustration.
All in all, I still like this book very much, including rhythm, repetition and color matching.