[.ca] The Baby Beebee Bird (ISBN 0060280840)

From Amazon.com:
After a long, hard day of howling, roaring, squawking, and hissing, the animals in the zoo are ready for a good night's sleep. Silence settles over the zoo, until... "Beebeebobbibobbi beebeebobbibobbi"! "What," said the elephant, "is THAT?" "That" turns out to be the newest addition to the zoo, a tiny but vocal baby beebee bird. Deaf to the pleas of the lion, the giraffe, and all the other animals, the baby beebee bird burbles happily on. "I've slept all day and now it's time for me to SING." Morning finds a lot of very tired critters, until the lion comes up with a plan to teach the vociferous bird that "Nighttime is really best for sleeping... especially for very little birds." Diane Redfield Massie's bedtime story, originally published in 1963, has been reissued in a larger format, with all-new full-color illustrations by award-winning illustrator (and author) Steven Kellogg, whose A-Hunting We Will Go uses a similar cast of goofy, expressive animals to ease children into sleepy-time mode. Pages of The Baby Beebee Bird are cluttered with a delightful menagerie of bleary-eyed bears, snoring snakes, and exhausted eagles. This updated edition of an old favorite is sure to be a hit with a whole new generation of readers. (Ages 3 to 7) --Emilie Coulter

Why only males at the zoo?:
This is a cute book, first written in 1963 & reillustrated by the wonderful Steven Kellogg, who has used his talent well here. But I found it disappointing that everyone identified by gender was male: the bear, lion, elephant, the bird and the zookeeper. Sure, it was written a while ago but presumably there were female animals then, too, right?

What's a Beebee Bird?:
This is a cute bedtime book. We meet a lot of tired animals in the zoo who are trying to get to sleep when a baby bird keeps them up with his singing. So, to get back at him, all day long they make noise and cause the bird to miss his nap. That night, he is so tired that he doesn't sing and everyone is able to get some sleep. I had fun reading this book to some kids for nap time and they enjoying the silly repeating phrase "beebeebobbi" - especially when I said it the way that all of the different animals would. I did have to take a star away because at times the text can be difficult to read - especially for beginning readers who are trying to follow along while reading over your shoulder. Also, it can be a little bit too exciting when trying to get children to settle down for a nap. Why 3 stars?: A fun book with some funny moments, but some of the text can be difficult to read. Parts can be a little too exciting when trying to have kids fall asleep. All in all, a good book that should be used carefully.

Funny for the whole family:
This book is funny in a way the whole family can relate to. Parents and siblings who have been kept awake by a baby will especially enjoy the comic view of their predicament. Those who do the waking will enjoy the baby bird's expressing their viewpoint. The artwork is great at showing the exhausted and irascible animals who are kept awake by the cheerful baby bird. The typesetting is very clever, too.