Julius, the Baby of the World by Kevin Henkes

He is the baby of the world, because he is the baby of the world. Julius the baby of the world is THE baby of the world. I like a lot of Henkes's books but really just do not like this one.

If it's ok (and even supposed to be considered funny) for Lily to hate her little brother, then why can't the child I am reading the book to hate her little brother, too? Sure, Lily grows out of it by the end of the book, but the bulk of the book (and the most memorable part) involves her hating and torturing Julius. Of course older siblings are not always thrilled when a new baby comes home, but I still do not like reading books about siblings hating one another. I almost stopped reading it because I was so disturbed that Lily says she hates Julius. The first time I read this book, I was reading it out loud to a child I was babysitting. I dislike any book that involves an older sibling hating a younger sibling (or any sibling hating any sibling, for that matter). But when Lily's cousin criticizes Julius, Lily's big-sisterly instincts kick in. Lily is not pleased when her parents bring home her little brother, Julius, and spend so much time cooing over him.

ALA Notable Book, ALA Booklist Children's Editors' Choice, Horn Book Fanfare Honor List, Parent's Choice Honor for Literature. When she throws a tea party, guess which baby doesn't get an invitation? But when a visiting cousin starts insulting baby Julius, we discover that the flip side of Lilly's intense jealousy is an even more powerful and lasting loyalty. 'If you were a number you'd be zero.' When she paints an elaborate family portrait, she leaves Julius out. For example, she delights in insulting her oblivious baby brother: 'If you were a food, you'd be a raisin,' she whispers into his crib. Through bright watercolors and handwritten, cartoon-style dialogue, Henkes relishes Lilly's wickedness. Kevin Henkes, creator of Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse refuses to shy away from the truly powerful and sometimes dark feelings of children. Soon the jealousy is too much for her, and she embarks on a rejection campaign that is hysterically funny, but also comforting for siblings who probably feel just as much resentment but would never go to Lilly's extremes. But when her parents repeatedly coo, 'Julius is the baby of world,' Lilly's mouse hackles begin to rise. At first, big sister Lilly thought it might be fun to have a new baby in the family. For children who are facing the arrival of a new sibling, Julius, the Baby of the World makes for great biblio-therapy.

Julius, the Baby of the World by Kevin Henkes