Pecan Pie Baby

"Mama is pregnant with what soon-to-be sibling Gia refers to as 'the ding-dang baby.' Among the indignities she suffers: the in utero baby is already copying Gia's love of pecan pie--a culinary obsession that Gia thought she could share with Mama alone. 'So that baby's just being a copycat!' gripes Gia. Newbery Honor author Woodson (Show Way) doesn't have new insights into displacement fears: the usual anxieties, oblivious relatives, and reassurances populate her story. But what she does have to say still resonates: 'I know what I'm going to miss the most,' Gia complains after an outburst at Thanksgiving dinner. 'My whole, whole life.' Blackall's (Big Red Lollipop) stylized ink and watercolor images, with their muted colors and slightly flattened perspectives, have a strong sense of style and calming warmth, as in a scene where Gia sits on the stoop, special memories of her mother spooling outward in squiggly thought bubbles. Gia may have moments when she feels 'real, real, real alone,' but readers will sense that Mama's love endures--and that Gia is going to be a very cool older sister. Ages 5 — 8. (Oct.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright PWyxz LLC)

Gia is tired of hearing about the new baby. What's going to happen to Gia's nice, cozy life with Mama once it's born? Woodson and Blackall have created a heartwarming story for kids adjusting to the idea of a new family member. Full color.

Jacqueline Woodson, winner of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults, is the author of The Other Side, Coming On Home Soon, Peace, National Book Award Finalist Locomotion, Newbery Honor winners After Tupac and D Foster, Feathers and Show Way, Miracle's Boys (recipient of a Coretta Scott King Award and a Los Angeles Times Book Prize), and Hush (a National Book Award Finalist), among others. She lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York.

Sophie Blackall received the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award. She has illustrated several award-winning picture books, including Wombat Walkabout by Carol Diggory Shields, Ruby's Wish by Shirin Yim Bridges, Meet Wild Boars by Meg Rosoff, and the Ivy and Bean books by Annie Barrows. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.