Shhh! the Baby's Asleep

♦ Naptime in a busy house, where the baby has finally fallen asleep, means staying quiet, and it’s not easy with so many people around! Dante needs to fix the wheels on his toy truck, Shae needs to set her curls, and the neighbor, Mr. Young, needs to mow his lawn. Will the baby be able to maintain a quiet slumber? Or will the noises made by others create an awakening? For families with young children, “Shh, the baby’s asleep!” is a common refrain, frequently repeated throughout this delightful book. Short, rhyming couplets present the story in a sing-song fashion that will please…

Members of an extended family shush one another to try to keep the baby asleep. The baby is laid in the crib, “finally asleep,” and Mom creeps out of the room, cringing at the creaking of the floor. The narrator, an older sibling, joins her as she finds Daddy and shushes him. The child and Daddy then find Grammy and shush her. Grammy helps shush Pop Pop, and the cycle continues until all siblings, pets, and even the neighbor have been shushed. Each character is engaged in some activity that isn’t inherently loud but, in the context of this humorous scenario familiar to many families with…