Since I grew up with a large extended family, loud talky meals were par for the course. Along with lots of tasty food, my aunties served up a fair share of juicy gossip and heaps of hilarity whenever we got together.

My cousins and I knew the drill. If you were a baby or toddler, you could expect to be doted upon — hugged, held, kissed or tickled. An uncle might toss you up in the air, and if you weren’t careful, you could even get your cheeks pinched.

All part of happy family gatherings, where the youngest is usually the center of attention. And why not? Who doesn’t love a wriggly, giggly, drooly, pint-sized bundle of fun?

In Pass the Baby by Susanna Reich and Raúl Colón (Neal Porter Books, 2023), we’re invited to join a lively multiethnic blended family as they set the table, prepare the food, enjoy their meal, clean up the mess, and then collapse from exhaustion — all while playing with, feeding and entertaining the baby, as she’s passed from lap to lap.

Reich’s rollicking rhyming text pulls us right into the action from the get-go, filling us with excitement and anticipation as we sense Baby will be the star of the show.

Family dinner, set the table,
forks and spoons and napkins too.
Knives and plates and water glasses,
flowers, candles, bright and new.
Wait a minute, where's the baby?
Someone's playing peekaboo!

As the guests gather round and help with finishing touches, hungry Baby fusses a little. So begins her journey around the table, as she’s cuddled by different family members. An ebullient refrain underscores everyone’s uproarious delight:

Baby, baby, pass the baby!

Baby wants a little bite.
Pass the baby round the table,
filled with faces shining bright.

Soon everyone tucks into all the mouthwatering dishes: enchiladas, guacamole, ravioli and meatballs. Of course Baby’s playing a roly poly game with her meatball, while Doggie steals a ravioli.

Speaking of Doggie, he follows Baby everywhere she goes, “lapping up the little morsels, chewing, chewing with his teeth.”

Things shift into high gear as Baby hits her stride:

Baby takes some mashed banana,
flings it at the kitchen door,
bangs her spoon upon the table,
dribbles juice upon the floor.
Dripping, dropping, there's no stopping.
Give the baby more,
                              more,
                                   MORE!

Time for dessert! There’s cherry cheesecake, peanut pie and vanilla ice cream. Baby piles cakes and cookies “very, very, VERY high.” But she’s not done yet — she spills a cup of coffee on Grandma’s fancy dress. Oops! What a mess!

Undeterred, this jovial gang takes to humoring Baby again, passing her around “’til it’s time to say goodnight.” Uh oh, Baby’s got another surprise:

Papi picks up plates and platters,
Mommy says it's time for bed,
Sister wails for cozy nightgown,
Doggie nibbles gingerbread.
Baby dumps the sugar bowl,
upside down on dolly's head.

Poor dolly! Baby is unstoppable. Once the exhausted guests drift off to dreamland, snoozing and snoring (“they’re so boring”) — they cannot “Pass the Baby” anymore. No problem at all for the wide awake munchkin, since there’s still someone to play with. Shhh!

This upbeat, truly relatable story begs to be read aloud. It’s easy to get caught up in the momentum of Reich’s rhythmic lines, and I can just hear kids enthusiastically chanting along with the “Baby, baby, pass the baby!” chorus, as they ask for rereadings.

Colón’s exuberant mixed media illustrations (watercolor, pencil, crayon) beautifully capture the high octane energy and true-to-life interactions of this close-knit intergenerational family. Love how he expanded on Reich’s text by ramping up the humor through amusing details and spot-on facial expressions that reveal so many different emotions (Tío’s startled look as Baby kicks him in the face, Grandpa’s unadulterated joy as he’s about to bite into a meatball, Mommy’s concern as Baby piles up cookies and cake, Grandma’s shock when coffee hits her dress).

Of course it all begins with Baby; on the dedication page she peers at us with a mischievous look and sets things in motion with a game of peekaboo. Except for one fussy face, she’s ever the picture of joy and pure baby bliss — whether she’s being tossed in the air by the family, throwing blocks everywhere, or flinging mashed banana with wild abandon. And what about that look of bemused satisfaction as she dumps sugar on dolly’s head? Definitely a force to be reckoned with.

Kids know this is unacceptable, even outrageous behavior, but they’re in on the joke. It is the prerogative of babies to be indulged, after all. Seeing such chaos being played out in a story will have them in fits of laughter, and wanting to know what Baby’ll do next will keep them turning the pages. Older siblings will also enjoy seeing the roles Baby’s brother and sister have in the family dynamic.

Finally, a word about that adorable scruffy dog. His little head first pops up while the table is being set, and he subsequently appears in almost every spread (jumping up to catch a meatball, licking up mashed banana or scarfing down crumbs at every turn). There’s just something about his little pink tongue that kills me. Naturally, kids will love following Doggie’s antics throughout the story.

Pass the Baby is such good fun — a picture of modern family life that will ring true for many readers as it checks all the right boxes: food, family, fun, love, warmth, cooperation, inclusivity and diversity. Readers will likely be able to identify with the all-too-familiar characters, perhaps thinking they wouldn’t mind sharing a meal with them sometime. Ultimate take-away: we are all more alike than different and belong to one human family. Baby, baby, pass me another meatball, please!

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PASS THE BABY
written by Susanna Reich
illustrated by Raúl Colón
published by Neal Porter Books/Holiday House, October 2023
Picture Book for ages 4-8, 32 pp.
**starred review from Booklist**

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Carol Labuzzetta is hosting the Roundup at The Apples in My Orchard. Zip on over to check out the full menu of poetic goodness being served up around the blogosphere this week. Do you think she’d like a meatball? 🙂

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*Interior spreads posted by permission, text copyright © 2023 Susanna Reich, illustrations © 2023 Raúl Colón, published by Neal Porter Books/Holiday House. All rights reserved.

**Copyright © 2023 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.