The Day the Babies Crawled Away

by Peggy Rathmann

From the creator of Good Night, Gorilla comes another bedtime adventure!

What a lovely day at the fair. Children lining up for pony rides . . . moms and dads in a pie-eating contest . . . babies chasing butterflies . . . babies heading for the trees . . . I SAY! Where are those babies GOING? Only a small boy sees them leaving and follows as the babies chase butterflies in trees, frogs in a bog, even bats in a cave, ignoring pleas to come back. But not to worry, our hero saves the day, making sure that all the babies get home safely from their appealing adventures.

Caldecott Medal winner Peggy Rathmann has created a highly original story told in a lilting text and a bold new style with classic black silhouettes against stunning skies of many colors that change and glow as afternoon turns into evening.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Adventure, Fiction, Humor, Storytime, Kids

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Caldecott-medalist Margaret Crosby "Peggy" Rathmann was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, and grew up in the suburbs with two brothers and two sisters. Ms. Rathmann studied commercial art at the American Academy in Chicago, fine art at the Atelier Lack in Minneapolis, and children's-book writing and illustration at the Otis Parsons School of Design in Los Angeles. She currently lives and works in Nicasio, CA on a ranch she shares with her husband, John Wick, and a very funny bunch of birds.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Impulse grab at the library because who could resist that title and cover? Not me! The verse needs to be read aloud to be appreciated, as it scans awkwardly on the page but works when read with full expression. The art is bewitching, and the story is both funny and full of heart. A winner for the whole family, because yes, irl babies do crawl away (though generally not so far) and older siblings are heroes.

[Sylvester (Taking a break in 2023) · Rating 4 out of 5]

5* art
4* poem

We love love love the silhouette illustrations in this book. Squirt points out the baby that is always hanging upside-down from a tree, and laughs at the diaper sling. It's a unusual book - I couldn't quite say what the best thing about it is.

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really cute metrical/rhyming story about a little kid who saves babies that crawl away while their parents compete in a pie-eating contest. I love how the pictures are silhouettes, and that each baby can be found on each page. Stalactite baby is the one to keep track of. Fun and warmhearted.

[Amanda Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as a read aloud to third graders and second graders. The book is written in second person and the point of view brings you right in to the story. Even difficult classes sit quietly and with interest. The pictures and writing both draw students into the story. The tale of the babies is sweet and everyone feels good after listening to the story, I highly recommend this to a class who needs just a little pick me up, maybe after a contentious recess or difficult week. This book also ties in well to character education and would be great to talk about responsibility and caring for others, including little brothers and sisters.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the illustrations and the quirky story. I used it with older story time groups. It kept 2 older girls & 2 younger boys interested for PJ Story Time today. 6/26/12

Used again for PJ Story Time. I think the father liked it better than his daughter. 7/23/14

I think this was the favorite book in story time today. 7/15/14

I don't know if it is the illustrations or the young boy as hero, but this always goes over well.

[Kay Farmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is so unique mainly because of the illustrations. The silhouette illustrations are a delightful change. The story is in rhyme, so children will enjoy the beat of the story. During a picnic the babies crawl away, only to been noticed by a young boy. They had quite the adventure and many humorous situations. Never fear they young boy saves the day.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

We were given this book when Jacob was born and it has quickly become a family favorite. The illustrations are really wonderful - the kids spend a lot of time poring over the details - and the story is perfect for older siblings of any age. I really like the rhyming and cadence of the text - it is a fun story to read aloud!

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun rhyming text (though a bit uneven) and interesting silhouette illustrations and an engaging little adventure (though a bit alarming that all the parents let the babies crawl away!) and the older sibling (?) gets to be the hero so that will probably appeal to kids ;-)

[Kirsti Call · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my absolute favorites! The rhymes and rhythms are masterfully done, and the story is delightful! This is a book that I don't mind reading over and over. Every time we read it, we discover something new and interesting in the illustrations. This is a must read!

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a strange little tale about babies crawling away to dangerous places. I thought it was interesting that Peggy Rathmann wrote the book in the second person, as if the reader were part of the tale. And the illustrations are wonderfully creative, with black silhouettes framed by an ever darkening, but very colorful sky. The illustrations are very funny in places, which helps to soften the dangerous situations the babies got into.

Overall, we thought it was an entertaining story and we enjoyed reading it together. Our girls especially liked the illustrations and would pick out their favorites on each page.

[Stephan Benzkofer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: While the following is a real review, it is also a shameless ploy to make my Goodreads reading challenge.
The Day the Babies Crawled Away is a wonderful book to read out loud. The rhyming couplets fly by and the illustrations are a constant delight. Both are key factors when you're short on sleep and need to, well, put the kids to bed. Drawn in a unique silhouette style, the illustrations offer many hidden treasures: the upside-down baby, the bonneted baby, various bugs and critters, and of course, our hero, the boy in the firefighter helmet.

I give this book to every young parent I come across.

Earlier review:
This may be the best book I've ever read in any genre or reading level. What a delight!

[Katherine Pace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book okay. It was cute but for some reason I just didn't find it that good or charming. This book tells the story of the day that all the babies in a town just up and crawled away! They just left! As they are leaving, a young boy tries to get them to all come back and he keeps that as his mission the whole day. Through all the crazy predicaments the babies get into, the boy helps them. But will they make it back home?
I would love to read this book to a preschool class or even a kindergarten or 1st grade class. I think young kids would just eat this book up! 100% needs to be on my classroom bookshelf.

[Michelle Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun book!

The drawings are actually silhouettes. And I love it!

Be especially on the look out for a baby with a bow in it's hair sticking straight up. My kids LOVED it when I pointed it out to them.

Also, watch out for the caterpillar.

Every part of this book is wonderful!!!!

[Jennifer (JenIsNotaBookSnob) · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 year old daughter thought this one was cute. The illustrations are all in the style of the cover with the babies and foreground in silhouette. It's a cute effect and neat for a children's book. Fun story, but also a good way to point out different art styles in children's books.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful story about a little hero. I am using this as one title in my 'Hero month' storytime session.

[Hally Levine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recommend this book to kids because it is a good story. The pictures are cool. I like the babies in the bird's nest the best. It is a funny book.

[Cosette · Rating 5 out of 5]

So clever and cute

[Anna Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Day the Babies Crawled Away tells the story of exactly that! One day all the parents were at a pie eating contest and their babies crawled away while chasing some butterflies. A young boy tried to get them to stop, but the babies did not listen. Instead, the young boy follows the babies through their adventures through trees, bogs and caves. Through this book full of rhyme the reader will be intrigued by all of the adventures these young babies go one. Once they finally return home with the help of the young boy who feeds them and has them rest to give them energy, the babies parents are overjoyed and give the boy a first prize trophy for helping return their babies home safe. I love the illustrations in this book, all of the people, and objects in this story are silhouettes and all black. The only color is the sky in the background, creating a very unique illustration that makes the reader think and recognize what they are looking at through silhouettes, further developing their visual literacy. This would be a fun project to mimic in a classroom, getting students to be creative with illustrations.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Day the Babies Crawled Away is a poem book that rhymes throughout the story. The narrator takes you on an adventure where he chases the babies that are crawling away. He chases them through all different kinds of chaos, but the book is written with repeated phrases to engage the read-aloud students. The babies do many dangerous things, and the narrator spends so much time chasing and worrying about the babies.

The book would be a good introduction to rhyming poetry. The book's storyline is quirky and fun showing students that poetry does not have to be boring! Teachers on all levels could benefit from a read aloud of this book for their poetry lessons!

Books that connect: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by John Archambault and Hi, Koo by Jon J Muth

"They crawled in the tree chasing bees"
"They crawled in a bog chasing frogs"

[Mariarosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the concept of a little kid showing responsibility for children even younger than him (such as for a baby brother or sister). My 5-year-old brother and 3-year-old sister are the greatest older siblings to our 1-year-old brother, who happens to love to get into trouble.

Unfortunately, while my brother and sister connected with the main character, they did not love the "dark pictures" or how the story was written in second-person point of view. This narrative seemed to really confuse my younger siblings.

I'm sure my siblings will have me read it to them a couple more times anyway, but I don't think I will be recommending it to anyone else.

[FM Family · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an unexpected fave, although we all really enjoyed Goodnight Gorilla so I suppose it shouldn't have been a surprise. but a very different style and rhythm, though the same idea of sneaking as a central plot point. Very sweet story told uniquely all in silhouette as all the babies sneak off from the town fair and the young protagonist has to follow them all through all kinds of landscapes. Moves well through silly and into sweet and cosy at the end when the mother wraps the child up in a big hug. Definitely worth a read!

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one just didn't quite grab me. I think the fact that all the parents were oblivious to their babies crawling away just bothered me too much to really enjoy the story. I may use it in preschool story time and see if the kids like it any better. I feel like it has the potential to be fun - maybe I'm just missing something.

[Jessica Atwater · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have checked this out from the library so many times. Why don't I own this book? The silhouette illustrations against a darkening evening sky, the rhythmic and rhyming prose, the second person view point, the charming story, everything about this book makes me happy. I love to read it to my children over and over again.

[Katie Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

One day at the fair where all of the moms and dads were at the pie eating contests, their babies found some butterflies and crawled away. This is a cute rhyming book that shows the adventures that the babies have when they crawled away. I would recommend this book to kindergartners.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

One fair day, while the parents are competing in a pie-eating contest, a child sees their babies crawl away for fun of their own. He follows them and has quite a time taking care of them, getting them out of dangerous places and bringing them back. Fun silhouetted illustrations. Cute rhyming story.

[Alyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightfully lighthearted and fun. An imaginative tale of adventure and heroism following a trip to the local fair. The illustrations perfectly compliment the rhythmic writing, and the book's title - "The Day The Babies Crawled Away" - brilliantly ties it all together.

[Maeve · Rating 2 out of 5]

At a fair, the parents are busy and lose track of their babies...so the babies crawl away. A young child notices, and after a fantastical adventure, manages to bring them all back.

Not my favorite...but the black silhouette on colorful background was very stricking.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The shadow illustrations lend not just a unique style to the story, but also a bit of dramatic effect. The title is scary enough for an adult. When I realized it was a little boy's imaginings of heroism, I felt better. The rhymes aren't clunky and the story flows at a good clip.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art style is an interesting choice and though we usually prefer full color art, this was fun and a good read as spooky season approaches. I had a lot of fun making up a melody to the poem and the kiddo seemed to like it sung, as it has a memorable refrain in the title.

[Diane Mcdaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't quite know why, but I love this book. Maybe it's because I always have so much fun when I read it to students...
I've been invited to read to a friend's first grade class, so I ordered a copy of this book. If they love it as much as I do, I plan to leave it for their classroom library.