Babies Don't Eat Pizza: A Big Kids' Book About Baby Brothers and Baby Sisters

by Dianne Danzig, Debbie Tilley (Illustrator)

A straightforward, reassuring book aimed at children awaiting the arrival of a new baby in the family...The charming watercolor illustrations show all kinds of families caring for and getting to know their newcomers. Though many quality books on this subject are available, Danzig's offering will bring comfort to expectant parents and siblings alike. - School Library Journal

With kid-friendly humor and honesty, BABIES DON'T EAT PIZZA covers waiting for baby and life with baby from birth through toddlerhood. Multicultural families; how babies are born, grow and behave; adoption, premature and special needs babies; breast and bottle feeding, twins, helping and playing with babies, older children's feelings, and a parents' tips page are included. Vetted by teachers, nurse educators, physicians, librarians, and parents, the book speaks to the real questions, perceptions and concerns that the author has heard from over 2,500 children about their baby siblings.

Mom's Choice Award Gold Recipient
California Readers 2010 California Collection - Elementary Division

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Kids, Nonfiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 22, 2009

About the author

Dianne Danzig is an author and RN who has cared for well babies, newborns in intensive care and older children. As a nurse educator, she's taught Big Brother-Big Sister preparation classes to more than 2,500 children.

Prior to writing Babies Don't Eat Pizza-A Big Kids' Book About Baby Brothers and Baby Sisters, Dianne participated in researching and writing The City by the Bay - A Magical Journey Around San Francisco (Chronicle Books) as a fundraiser for San Francisco children.

Dianne is a member of The Authors Guild and Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She lives with her family in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Reviews

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet, informative picture book on all things baby and becoming a big sibling.
While the "story" and wording were a bit over our 18 month old's head, she still enjoyed the pictures and it helped her prepare for new brother in that, "babies cry to tell us they need something" and that mommy's hands and lap may be busy and full for a while while nursing the baby.

All in all, a very beneficial book to help with big transitions.

[Breann Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Picture Book) I loved this book! This is such a good book for children who may be welcoming a new little brother, sister or any member of the family. It gives the whole point of view from a child’s perspective and is even very funny at times. I think it would be a good way to calm children down about the huge life event of a new baby. For example, some of the subheadings in the book are In the Beginning, where it describes how the baby grows in the womb and the whole process. Here at Last, Special Delivery, where the book talks about how babies are born. Your Basic Baby which shows a diagram of a baby and facts about its appearance, some are very humorous, such as “Wacky hair. It can fall out at any time.” Or “Fingernails and toenails are short, long, or in-between. How about a manicure?” What New Babies Look Like, What Babies Do, What Babies Like, and The One and Only You, which I love a lot because I know some children can feel neglected when a new baby comes along. In between all these subheadings are also mini headings that talk about playtime, and bath time, feeding, and even ‘baby talk.’ Although it is a light hearted book, this is a great way for children to ease into the process of their family adding a new member. It even includes Parent’s Tips in the back of the book. The illustrations are also very funny, and so well planned. They include babies with different nationalities and races. I cannot even imagine how this book could be any better.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brought this home to have more books on new baby in house. Breezed through this before weekend with kids and it looked good. While SD has been through new baby before, she still needs some reminders on some things because she wasn't as old when SS came along, and the separation and divorce came very shortly after that, so she could do with some reminders. Especially when her new sister is going to have a rather traumatic beginning of life for all of us involved. I aimed for some books specifically for SS, and some for SD. I'm glad she picked this for her bedtime book because I had her more in mind than him. And she smiled and laughed at the humor. I think it was a good one for her.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A matter-of-fact book for kids about where babies come from and what babies are really like. It doesn't go overboard; the part where you learn where babies are (in the womb) and where they come from are factual but not overly detailed. We read as a family with no blushing. The majority of the book covers what babies are really like: sometimes loud, sometimes fussy, sometimes messy. Last but not least, the book includes several suggestions for how the big kid is still super special to their parents and how they can interact with their new baby in the house. I would definitely recommend to others expecting a second child.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written for kids who are about to become a big sister or brother. It addresses itself directly to the reader. It starts off by explaining a bit about where babies come from (in mom’s womb) and mention a few things that babies do while they are in mom’s belly. It also discusses child birth.

The title comes from a sentence that’s used to explain what newborn babies eat - and no, it’s not pizza!

The book covers a newborn up through a baby that toddles around and verbalizes, and ends with a reminder that the parents will still always love the big sibling, even though there’s a new person in their lives now.

[JennyJo · Rating 3 out of 5]

We got this book, along with a few others, to help get our 4-year-old ready for a new baby brother. This book did not quite hit the sweet spot. It was too wordy and not arranged well for reading aloud. Some Amazon reviews complained that it revealed too much by stating that the baby is born "through an opening between mom's legs", but I was okay with the level of detail. I appreciated that it included the possibility of C-section birth, as well as getting a new sibling through adoption. Maybe this book would be a good fit for an older child.

[Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because it gives soon to be older brothers and sisters an idea of what it will be like having a baby in their house. It talks about how babies eat, sleep, and cry a lot when they first come home from the hospital. It also talks about what older siblings can do to help the parents care for and entertain the baby.

[Ad Astra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is good for older siblings. It's got a lot of great situations and considerations about bringing a new kid to the family, and also has several nods towards the process of adoption which feels inclusive. But it's rather lengthy. I paraphrased quite a bit to get through the book with my 3 year old.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a lot of text for Stella at 24 months, but she paid attention through the whole thing. Lots of educational stuff about how babies grow, what activities they can do, how big siblings can play with them. Need to check it out again when second baby is closer.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alternatively, "What to Expect When Your Mom Comes Home with a Baby". Pair with "Babies can't eat Kimchee".

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit too long to read in one sitting if the kids are younger, but broken up into little sections to make it easy to pause every couple pages if necessary

[Karla · Rating 3 out of 5]

wanted to love this more
appropriate for a four year old? no- too long
illustrations more aligned with older children also
needs to be brought down more

[Suzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My five year old randomly picked this off the shelf at the library, and I’m so glad he did. It tackles a few big topics, but was also cute and silly.

[Kendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

So we read this over this summer (I am behind on reviews...) before having Cassie. I wanted Mason to be prepared to have a baby sister in his life. You see Mason is a big Mama's boy and he loves to snuggle with me and loves the attention. He is used to sharing me with his older siblings and the kids I babysit off and on but not used to not having my attention all the time. So...I picked up this book, "Babies Don't Eat Pizza" by Dianne Danzig. This is kid-friendly honesty and humor. It informs and reassures children about babies coming into their homes.



I love the story but for a three year old I felt like it was way over his head most of the time. I think this would be a great book say for a kid who is five or even six years old. But for a three year old it was long and too much info all at once. The illustrations though in this book were amazing and really neat to look it. I actually used a lot of the pictures to put what is happening in three year old terms. All in all if you have an older child getting a baby siblings check it out.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stop right here if you are looking for a perfect book to tell children about their new little brother or sister. Done in a light-hearted but also matter-of-fact style, this book will answer all of the questions new big siblings have. The book ranges from what babies look like to what they eat to what they can do plus all of the hair pulling and stinky bottoms too. The mix of the sweet with the annoying will prepare children well.

Danzig's text is spot on, offering just the right amount of information and leaving nothing to a child's imagination. The tone is exactly right too, filled with humor but staying up front and informative. Tilley's illustrations add a friendly approachable feel to the information, keeping the book light rather than intimidating.

A great book for public libraries to have on hand to inform all of the new big brothers and sisters. This would also be a great gift for the new sibling when the pregnancy announcement is made. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I totally disagree with reviews that state this book has too much detail or inappropriate detail. It says right in the title that it is for BIG KIDS. I borrowed 5 books from the library and this was the only one that was remotely appropriate for my 6 year old. It covered topics that I wouldn't have thought to explain and my son would not have known to ask. For example, it said that his parents would go to the hospital and he would stay with someone else. My kid was blindsided by this and we had a lengthy discussion about kids not being in the delivery room. The book does not provide tons of information but covers everything so that you can have more discussion as needed. If you are looking for a kids version of "what to expect," this is a good one. We'll try to read it a few times in the next 4 months unless I find another one I like better.

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy)]

This is a realistic picture book for young children that prepares them for the birth of a new sibling as well as what it will be like for the first year. The book is very detailed and informative and provides a lot of information for young children. Some of the text might be too much for really small children and may need to be adapted depending on the age of the child. Parents should review the book prior to reading it with their child since there is a lot of information about a baby being in the womb, etc.

[Philitsa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would not recommend this book for any kid under 4 or 5.

While it is very well written, and does an excellent job explaining the realities of having a new baby, it gives way too much information for a toddler. The book is well organized and starts and ends by talking about the big kid: you were once a baby, this is where babies come from, these are the fun/annoying things about babies, your parents will always love you. I gloss over the origin and delivery of babies for my two year old.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a present we gave to our son when we surprised him with the news that he was going to be a big brother. This book is packed with pictures and easy to understand information. Sure it has more information than some parents are comfortable with sharing with their kids, but I think it is a personal decision on how much you want to share and how old/mature your child is, etc. For our family, this book is great! It opens the floor for positive discussions and more and our son gets quite a few chuckles out of the funny things babies do (or can't do)!

[Chanae]

When the title says "Big Kids' Book" you should know they mean children close to age 5-6+. At least that would be my assumption. When I saw that, I originally just thought it meant - for the soon to be big kid/sibling, so I went looking for it at our library so I could read it to our 2 year old daughter.
Lots of text - all great info I'm sure - just not meant for a toddler. So, on that note, I'm not going to rate it as once started skimming through it I realized it was not right for our needs.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book aimed at new baby preparation for older kids. I would not recommend this book for those under 5. It was a little TMI and a little long for our toddler. It opened up questions that have not been asked of us. I definitely prefer Baby on the Way over this one for the preschool age set.

[Molly (Conan the Librarian) Crumbley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that covers exactly what the title suggests. The watercolor illustrations are cute, the text is informative and accessible, cheering the little reader on as it explains different things about babies and what they look like, sound like, and do. It also offers parents some advice on how to deal with sibling rivalry. Plus, it rocks a seriously great title, don’t you think?

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was aimed for a child a bit older than mine, but it was still really good; we just had to break it up into a few sessions. The way the author described babies, and how being a big brother would be really seemed to connect with my son. He kept nodding his head and pointing at certain illustrations. If you have older children (maybe in the 4 - 6 age range) I would really recommend it.

[jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book for older kids who are expecting a little brother or sister. It deals only with what kids should expect from babies, what will happen when the baby comes, and how to adjust. Great for parents and kids to read together. It doesn't deal at all with how babies are made.

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The background information is strong enough but it's kind of hard to distinguish this from all the other new baby books out there.

[Ebony Hargett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great family book for students who have baby siblings at home. They would really relate to this story. I would use this book for independent reading or a read-aloud for younger grade levels.

[Gail]

Many of these books don't include explanations of c-sections. This one does.

[Maren Prestegaard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could be good for an older kid but there is absolutely no magic in this book. So much detail.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to get a young child ready for a new sibling. My 2 and 3 year old still love it.

[Stephanie Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book to read to your kids if you are an expectating parent! Very informational and well put together!