Read, Read, Read said the Baby: You're Getting a Baby Sister by Sheila Sweeny Higginson, illustrated by Sam Williams

This is what I think of as a novelty book. It's a rhyming celebration of getting a baby sister, along with a very didactic list of warnings about the things babies do and how you have to be patient until they grow up.

"You might look for a hug
when you're not feeling great.
But when mom's feeding the baby,
You'll just have to wait."

There's nothing particularly new or unique about the text and if the child is not yet worried about having a new sibling they will be after they read this. The art is cute but not particularly memorable either.

I don't really see the point of marketing this as a board book. The age of child that is going to be able to understand the concept of being patient with the baby is going to be much older than a board book audience. The book also includes an spread at the back to personalize - space to write in the name of your new sibling, space for a picture, etc. There's also a baby brother version. I did appreciate that there is some diversity in the children pictured.

Verdict: I can see giving this as a gift at a baby shower or something similar, but I don't think it's particularly useful for a general library collection. There are a lot of new sibling/baby books out there that are better.

ISBN: 9781442420502; Published 2012 by Simon and Schuster; Borrowed from another library in my consortium