Cleverly conceived and filled with soft, playful yet detailed watercolor illustrations, this oversize board book is one that children may keep requesting long past toddlerhood.

★ 10/13/2014
Trochatos debuts with a series of gently funny riddles/warnings, alerting readers why they should avoid inviting a bear to a winter sleepover (“It won’t wake up till spring”) or letting a penguin pilot a plane (“It can’t fly”). Johnson’s carefree watercolors revel in the playful setups: a child in a high chair is pummeled with fruit and a milk carton after unwisely starting a food fight with a magenta octopus, while on the next page (“Don’t let a cheetah drive your car”), a license plate that reads “FASTER” offers a clue about this animal’s attitude toward speed limits. An understated delight. Up to age 3. (Oct.)

Praise for This New Baby:
“...delicate illustrations and ephemeral imagery.” — Publishers Weekly

"Trochatos debuts with a series of gently funny riddles/warnings . . . Johnson’s carefree watercolors revel in the playful setups." — Publishers Weekly , starred review

"Great for one-on-one sharing or for inciting a room full of giggles at story time." — Kirkus Reviews

"Fresh, unpredictable, and squarely in a toddler’s humor wheelhouse." — Horn Book

"A raucous romp through all the don’ts of playing with animal friends." — Today's Parent

"Litsa Trochatos’ don’t-instructions are most definitely delightful, goofy entertainment for all ages . . . Even more funny-bone tickling, though, are Virginia Johnson’s irreverent illustrations." — BookDragon

"How refreshing and sensible. . . . Now if only all the don'ts in the world were as intelligent." — Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews

Litsa Trochatos has created a book that combines humor with facts about various animals. Children will enjoy the advice given on what not to do with each animal. Trochatos warns children not to invite a bear to a sleepover in winter because he simply will not wake up till spring. The children and animals in the story interact in warm hearted ways even when the animal causes quite a bit of trouble in each scenario. Virginia Johnson’s illustrations are reminiscent of a child’s watercolor paintings and are sure to appeal to the young child. The facts given for each animal in this book can be used as a springboard for learning more about the animals. The idea of why you cannot do certain things with a particular animal can also be carried over into discussions on why children have to wait to do certain things that adults can do now. Reviewer: Trudy Shiroma Koeffler; Ages 3 to 6.

12/01/2014
PreS-Gr 1—A collection of quirky admonishments for budding contrarians. Trochatos offers children rules for successful living by telling them what not to do. Examples include "Don't start a food fight with an octopus," "Don't let a cheetah drive your car," and "Don't invite a bear to a sleepover in winter." The results of not taking this advice are made quite clear in the splashy and super silly watercolors. The humor and situations require a bit more sophistication than is typical in most board books, but readers will still enjoy it.

2014-09-14
You have to be careful around animals, you know, or things can get crazy—fast. Pithy, peculiar rules, such as "Don't start a food fight with an octopus," appear on the right-hand pages, with the reasons behind the odd admonitions appearing once the page is turned: "It has six more arms that you do." The illustrations here depict a young boy and a red octopus seated across a food-laden table with pieces of fruit lifted in the air, poised to throw, followed by a scene of delightful culinary chaos in which the octopus definitely has the edge. Little ones are also warned not to let a cheetah drive the car (it likes to go too fast), invite a bear to spend a winter's night (it will refuse to leave till spring) and more. The whimsical watercolor illustrations add humor and charm. Particularly fetching are the ones of a little girl using her weight to try to yank the covers off the bear who has burrowed into her bed and the final scene of a seesaw with a hippo weighing down one end and a little boy so high in the air on the opposite side that he is visible only from the chest down. Great for one-on-one sharing or for inciting a room full of giggles at storytime, though developmentally, it reaches beyond the traditional board-book audience. (Board book. 2-6)