“More More More”, Said the Baby: Three Love Stories is a great book for the littlest book lover. This Caldecott Honor book by Vera B. Williams captures those special, silly, tender moments between toddlers and the people that love them.
My own boys loved this book when they were little. It’s silly. It’s about those moments when a toddler runs away and you catch them and kiss their sweet little bellies and toes. Re-reading it now for this review, the book struck me as kind of intimate. My boys are way past the stage of toe kisses and no longer have those sweet little baby feet. And there’s no way I could scoop any of them up now. But it’s a great reminder of those sweet fleeting days.
The three short stories have the same rhythmic text. The wording is different, but I think it fits the stories. In the first, “Little Guy” is a young toddler who runs away so fast that his daddy has to “run like anything just to catch that baby up”. Once the daddy catches the baby, he swings that baby all around and gives him a kiss right in the middle of his belly. “Little Guy” laughs and says “more, more, more”. In the second story, “Little Pumpkin” scoots away so fast that her grandma has to “run like anything, just to catch that baby up”. She holds the baby nose to nose and swings that baby all around and kisses “tastes” all of “Little Pumpkin’s” toes. “Little Pumpkin” laughs and says “more, more, more”. In the last story, “Little Bird” falls asleep so fast that her mama has to move fast to catch her from falling off the sofa. The mama rocks her baby back and forth and gets her ready for bed. She gives the little girl a kiss right on top of her little eyes.
The gouache illustrations won a Caldecott Honor. Even the lettering is painted in rainbow multicolor. The characters have diverse backgrounds. I’d recommend it for parents with very young children to share. Just be prepared to chase your own little people and to hear them calling for more.
The book is also available as a board book and in Spanish.
Also See:
Top Ten Picture Books for Preschoolers
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale – Mo Willems