She Come Bringing Me That Little Baby Girl

Title: She Come Bringing Me That Little Baby Girl

Author: Eloise Greenfield

Illustrator: John Steptoe

Genre: Controversial Children’s Literature

Age: Lower-Middle Elementary

Rating: 3 stars

            At first glance, it was hard to tell why this story was considered to be controversial.  This story is about a young boy who doesn’t want a baby sister, but then is happy in the end.  It is told from the boy’s point of view, making it relatable, and is what I consider to be a perfect read for a child who has a new baby sibling on the way or who has just arrived.  It’s painterly illustrations are interesting and unique in that the pastel colors show clearly each brush stroke.  A line that I found that could indeed be considered controversial, was “she couldn’t throw a football” in reference to the idea that the boy’s baby sister wouldn’t be able to play sports because she is a girl.  In addition, the book is not always in proper English, and entails some words that could be considered African American slang.  However, I think that the message of the story overrides these small details that quite honestly I do not think a small child would notice.   For these reasons, I think that I would include this book in my future classroom, or at least have it available on a bookshelf, for students who are expecting/have a new baby sibling.