Pinky And Rex and the New Baby

Pinky and Rex #6

by James Howe, Melissa Sweet (Illustrator)

Rex's parents are adopting a baby, and Rex doesn't like the idea at all. Suppose her parents are so busy with the new baby they forget about her?
So she comes up with a plan. If she can be the perfect big sister, her parents will have to pay attention to her. The trouble is, being the perfect big sister is a lot of work, and it doesn't leave time for much else -- like her best friend, Pinky.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

48 pages, Paperback

First published March 31, 1993

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

James Howe has written more than eighty books in the thirty-plus years he's been writing for young readers. It sometimes confuses people that the author of the humorous Bunnicula series also wrote the dark young adult novel, The Watcher, or such beginning reader series as Pinky and Rex and the E.B. White Read Aloud Award-winning Houndsley and Catina and its sequels. But from the beginning of his career (which came about somewhat by accident after asking himself what kind of vampire a rabbit might make), he has been most interested in letting his imagination take him in whatever direction it cared to. So far, his imagination has led him to picture books, such as I Wish I Were a Butterfly and Brontorina (about a dinosaur who dreams of being a ballerina), mysteries, poetry (in the upcoming Addie on the Inside), and fiction that deals with issues that matter deeply to him. He is especially proud of The Misfits, which inspired national No Name-Calling Week (www.nonamecallingweek.org) and its sequel Totally Joe. He does not know where his imagination will take him in the next thirty-plus years, but he is looking forward to finding out.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Calista]

Rex's parent's adapt a new baby and Rex is worried about being invisible or forgotten. She tries to be super big sister. Pinky misses his friend. They work through it in the end. I think this is a pretty good story about life when it changes with a new baby in the house.

This is a beginning reader book and it it entertaining. Pinky and Rex is not my favorite thing James Howe has done, but they are good for the age group, they don't translate across the age spectrum like other books can for this age group.

[Cassidy Goddard]

Pinky and Rex and the New Baby was written by James Howe and illustrated by Melissa Sweet. This is a chapter book that would be classified as a realistic fiction. This story was about a girl named Rex and her parents, and they decide to adopt a baby boy. At first, Rex is nervous about having a new baby brother, so she vents to her friend Pinky about not wanting a new baby brother. After her brother, Matthew arrives, she helps out in every way she can and spends so much time with Matthew her friend Pinky gets jealous. I think this book is a great example of realistic fiction because it is a made up story, but its a story that could really happen. I didn't like this book for the topic of adoption though. It did not emphasize much about adoption besides explaining to Pinky that Rex's new brother was being adopted. Other than that, it did not go into detail about adoption. The major problem defined in this story was the fact Rex spent all her time with her new baby brother, and she did not have time to play with her friend Pinky. This book would be a great book for older children to read because it is a picture chapter book. The book is very easy to read and understand, but it is compiled into 7 chapters. I think children would like this story because it is about two friends awaiting the new baby, and the struggles that Rex and Pinky face. The illustrations of this book were very realistic, and they portrayed characteristics of people properly. The illustrations also followed along with the book and had great detail in each picture. This book did not relay cultural diversity at all. All of the characters in the book were portrayed as white Americans.

[Dolly]

We've read most of the books in the Pinky and Rex series by James Howe and Melissa Sweet and we like the unusual characters and the purposeful challenge to stereotypes.

Pinky and Rex are in the second grade and the stories reflect issues and concerns for children this age. Our girls love these friends, especially because Rex isn't afraid to like 'boyish' things are Pinky isn't afraid to like pink.

This is a story about adoption and a new baby joining the family. I liked the realism of the story, such as the fact that Rex is concerned about her place in the family when a new baby arrives.

We enjoyed reading this book together and we will certainly look for the last book that we haven't read yet in the series, Pinky and Rex Go To Camp, at our local library.

[Courtney]

I wish I would have had this book when I was pregnant with my daughter. My son was three turning four, and I feel like this story could have helped him place things into perspective when it come to gaining a new sibling. I believe even though my daughter was already born when we read this short-story, he still gained some wisdom from it.

Pinky and Rex are best friends and their friendship is about to change with the addition of a new child. The closer the time comes for Rex's mom to have her baby, the further she pulls away from Pinky for fear of being forgotten from her family. Though this would never happen, these are true fears for younger children gaining their first sibling.

I enjoyed the realness and creativity that was put into this story, and how I could picture everything that took place happening in real life. I think that more books like this should be written that way children can have them as reference when they are going through something troubling. Life isn't always lemon drops and rainbows.

[Josiah]

James Howe never seems to misstep in these Pinky and Rex books. I wish more readers knew about this series of short but perceptive picture books. The point is necessarily pithy, but packs as much power as the vast majority of stories take many more pages to say. Whether in novels or easy readers, James Howe writes excellent books.

Pinky and Rex and the New Baby is a fresh take on the subject of a new baby being added to the family, a take that is smartly enlivened by the personalities of Pinky, Rex, et al. I have no doubt this is the funniest of the first six Pinky and Rex books.

[Ashleigh Dunning]

Rex does not like the idea of getting a baby sibling. The pressure on her to become a good big sister is too much. So Rex and her best friend Pinky come up with ways she can prove she is a good big sister. But can she balance that and make time for her friend Pinky? "She already is a wonderful big sister."

[Aliyia126]

Its about a girl named Rex who mother is having a baby.She thinks her mother will forget all about her. But she didn't so her friend Pinky was sad. Rex was not acting nomral.Rex will hang around the baby more than Pinky.

[Jayetta Carter-mcfarlin]

A fictional chapter book, this book would be good to include in the classroom library in grades 3 - 5. It is also useful for introducing the subject of adoption in social studies or cultural enrichment classes.

[Twotwo]

ar 3.2

[Mellanie C]

This was a sweet little story.

[Goose]

As with many of Howe's books in this series, this story touches upon potentially sensitive topics with grace and subtlety. In this case, the new baby is adopted, which is discussed by Pinky's family as far as why someone might put their child up for adoption as well as why others might adopt the child, and Rex suddenly becomes a doting sister. When someone suggests this could be because Rex is a girl, Pinky knows that's not it. "Being a boy or girl has nothing to do with it." As with their own nicknames, there's no reason to suggest gender determines interests.

[Cheryl]

I don't know if these transcend genre, but even though I'm not a beginning reader I sure do love them. It looks like I've tracked down the entire series, though, and still not found any redeeming characteristics in Pinky's little sister Amanda... too bad.

[Danette]

Rex gets a new baby brother who was adopted.

8/29/2018 Read with Julia.