Metal Baby

by Stephen W. Martin, Brandon James Scott (Illustrator)

Overview

For fans of The Boss Baby and Mustache Baby comes a laugh-out-loud picture book about quiet parents who unexpectedly bring home a baby that’s a heavy metal sensation!

The Mumfords are a quiet family. They live on a quiet street and enjoy quiet things. So imagine their surprise when they bring home...a Metal Baby! The Mumfords try their best to quiet his cries. But he just gets louder and louder. Soon he’s rocking all day and all night. And he’s attracting a lot of fans! The Mumfords are exhausted. Their quiet souls are crushed. Is there any way to put Metal Baby to sleep?

Illustrator Brandon James Scott joins the author of Fluffy McWhiskers Cuteness Explosion and I Can’t Draw to create this hilarious, hard-rocking romp of a picture book!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781665924931
Publisher:	Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication date:	03/12/2024
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	97,987
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 12.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Stephen W. Martin is a writer on Netflix’s Emmy-nominated Trash Truck along with Frederator’s Bravest Warriors. Stephen is also the author of several picture books, including Charlotte and the Rock, Fluffy McWhiskers Cuteness Explosion, and I Can’t Draw. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and dog. Visit him at Stephen-W-Martin.com.

Brandon James Scott is a creative director working in animation by day, and a children’s book illustrator by night. Brandon is the illustrator of A Bear, a Bee, and a Honey Tree; I Was Born a Baby; I Live in a Tree Trunk; Cow Says Meow; The Dog Who Wanted to Fly; and Metal Baby. In animation, Brandon has worked on a range of hit series including his own creation, the award-winning Justin Time. He’s helped make other shows like True and the Rainbow Kingdom, Pikwik Pack, and PAW Patrol. A born and raised Canadian, he currently lives with his wife and two children in Toronto. Learn more at BrandonJamesScott.com.

Editorial Reviews

2024-01-05
Well-meaning parents contend with a difficult child.

The quiet Mumfords are rearing a “Metal Baby.” He sports white face paint, heavy black eyeliner, and black spiky hair and shrieks nonstop. The Mumfords take their tot on car rides and hayrides. They bring him pacifiers. But Metal Baby won’t be tamed; he screams, flings teddy bears, and swings from the chandelier. The Mumfords seek out help from a nanny, but rather than curtailing Metal Baby’s naughty behavior, she just plays guitar while the infant serenades an audience of plush toys. The Mumfords are bewildered to learn that their Metal Baby is the headliner for “Metalpowerpalooza,” an upcoming festival boasting “3 DAYS OF NONSTOP METAL MAYHEM.” As a bevy of metalheads descends on the Mumfords’ front lawn, the exhausted parents embrace the chaos and find a creative solution. While all of this may make adults chuckle, the references to metal and alternative rock will probably be lost on young readers. Since the main character is a baby, it’s unlikely that children beyond kindergarten will be interested, though they’ll have a better chance at grasping the humor. Still, when the Mumfords (at least temporarily) become metalheads themselves, a lesson about affirming a child’s interests comes through. The Mumfords and Metal Baby have pale skin; the other metal fans are racially diverse.

Like heavy metal, this one won’t please every reader. (Picture book. 4-6)

Kirkus Reviews