Alligator Baby

by Robert Munsch, Michael Martchenko (Illustrator)

Overview

A classic Munsch tale about a new baby in the family — with a zany twist, of course!

One night Kristen’s mom goes off to the hospital to have a baby. But Dad gets lost on the way, and ends up at the zoo instead. When they get home, Kristen takes one look at the baby and says, “That’s not my baby brother — it’s an alligator!” So the parents go off to the zoo to find their real baby. They bring back a baby seal, a baby gorilla — but no people baby. So Kristen has to go off to the zoo and fix things herself . . .

This was Robert Munsch’s first book with Scholastic Canada — now reissued with a bright new cover design!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780590123877
Publisher:	Scholastic Canada Ltd
Publication date:	06/01/2021
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	132,333
Product dimensions:	8.07(w) x 10.01(h) x 0.11(d)
Age Range:	3 - 8 Years

About the Author

ROBERT MUNSCH started telling stories when he was teaching in a daycare, to get the kids to settle down. Now he is Canada’s number one author for young readers with more than 80 books in print, including such bestsellers as The Paper Bag Princess, We Share Everything!, So Much Snow! and Love You Forever. Every one of his stories was first told aloud to children – and each one is dedicated to the kid who inspired the story. He is a member of the Order of Canada, has a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame, and is a hero to generations of young readers. Robert Munsch lives in Guelph, Ontario. Visit him online at http://scholastic.ca/munsch/.

MICHAEL MARTCHENKO has illustrated dozens of books, and is most famous for his work with Robert Munsch including Smelly Socks, Makeup Mess and We Share Everything!. He lives in Burlington, Ontario.

Editorial Reviews

"Refreshingly different from most ‘'new baby' stories." — School Library Journal

Praise for Robert Munsch and Michael Martchenko

"Laurel and Hardy, Holmes and Watson, peanut butter and jam — some things just go better together. Robert Munsch and Michael Martchenko figured that out a number of years ago, and have been teaming up to produce silly, insanely popular books ever since." —Quill & Quire

Praise for Robert Munsch

“[Munsch is] a kindergarten superstar he ranks up there with Pablum and Pampers in name recognition arguably the most published Canadian author ever, in any genre.” — The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Magazine

"Munsch's parade of bright funny picture books has been a sales phenomenon in children's book publishing . . . And as Munsch books are requested by kids over and over every day in countless homes and schools, at story time and bedtime, the distinctive storyteller's voice will undoubtedly continue to be echoed for years to come by parents, teachers, babysitters and whomever else young kids can get to read to them." — The Chronicle Herald

"Arguably the most successful kid-lit writer in North America." — Toronto Star

"More witty, creative and entertaining than most of what passes for adult literature." — The Globe and Mail

“Munsch is now as important to a whole generation of children as any television character. ”— Quill & Quire

From the Publisher

The creators of The Paper Bag Princess here introduce a quick-witted heroine, Kristen, who notices that the newborn baby her dizzy parents proudly bring home isn't human at all. In on the silly joke, readers know that the couple, in their haste to get to the hospital, had made a wrong turn into the zoo. Attempting to retrieve their infant, Kristen's folks twice bring back additional animal babies, and each time Kristen insists, "That is not my baby brother!" and her mother replies, "Now, Kristen, don't be jealous." Finally the girl takes it upon herself to bicycle to the zoo and claim her new sibling from the arms of a "mommy gorilla." Martchenko's exaggerated cartoons are responsible for much of the tale's cheerful slapstick: they show a diaper-clad infant monkey swinging from a chandelier, a baby seal splashing happily in the bathtub while balancing a shampoo bottle on its nose and the heroic Kristen, flashlight strapped to helmet, pedaling home with her ebullient sibling in her bike basket. The animated repetition and general goofiness make this a fine read-aloud for preschoolers. Ages 3-6. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

PreS-Gr 2--Kristen's baby brother is born at a zoo instead of a hospital. Her overwrought parents repeatedly bring home the wrong infant--first an alligator, then a seal, then a monkey. Finally, brave Kristen takes off on her bike and locates the misplaced "people baby." Thanks to the brave, smart big sister, the babies get sorted out, "And everything was okay...until Kristen's mother had twins." Storytime audiences will cackle as Kristen examines each baby, pointing out the animal parts (claws, flippers, tails, etc.) that convince her none of these creatures is her new brother. The silliness escalates in the ebullient watercolor illustrations. Kristen's mother tosses hair curlers out the car window on the first trip to the zoo, leaving her hair to twist wildly for the rest of the story. The animal youngsters have a grand time visiting the humans' house. The seal balances shampoo on its nose while it plays in the bathtub; the monkey swings from the chandelier. Refreshingly different from most "new baby" stories.--Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA

School Library Journal