About the Holiday

As the icy temperatures of January settles in, one of the best ways to stay warm is to cuddle up with someone special or a favorite pet. Not only does snuggling take the chill off, it gives you those warm fuzzies inside that make you feel loved. Cuddling also has health benefits as it releases oxytocin, a natural pain reliever that can reduce heart disease and lower blood pressure, stress, and anxiety. Children especially benefit from snuggling that builds strong relationships with parents and other caregivers. So share cuddles—and books—today and all winter long!

Where’s Baby?

By Anne Hunter

Papa Fox is looking for Baby and asks Mama if she’s seen her. Mama hasn’t but says she “must be somewhere” and so starts the search. “Ba-by!” Papa calls into their den, but there’s no answer. Papa decides to look outside. When he turns around, Mama spies Baby hiding right behind Papa; she smiles and waves and Baby waves back.

Copyright Anne Hunter, 2020, courtesy of Tundra Books.

Papa comes to a stand of tall trees and shouts, “Ba-by! Are you up in the tree?” This time he gets a response, but it’s from an owl, who is “up in the tree, but…not your baby.” Something black-and-white and potentially stinky is hiding in a log, but it’s not Baby. Next, Papa comes to a big hill. It’s so big that Papa can’t see over it, so he yells out, hoping his little one will hear him. Of course, Baby does hear him—but from much closer than over the hill. What is waiting for Papa if he climbs all the way to the top? A bear with very sharp teeth that frightens even Papa Fox.

Copyright Anne Hunter, 2020, courtesy of Tundra Books.

Since Baby isn’t high up, Papa tries down in the ground (where it’s his turn to frighten a little mouse) and in the lake (where he finds an extremely long fish). In the pasture, Papa spies a bull named Davy, but not his Baby. Papa goes back to Mama and states that he “can’t find Baby anywhere.” Mama suggests that Papa look behind him and, lo-and-behold, there’s Baby! “Where on earth have you been?” Papa says. “I’ve looked for you everywhere!” To which Baby has only one answer: “Can we do that again?”

Copyright Anne Hunter, 2020, courtesy of Tundra Books.

Little ones will love Anne Hunter’s hide-and-seek game in a book that perfectly captures the cadence and suspense of the real thing while adding a sprinkling of giggly humor to each page. Hunter’s soft-hued blue-and-grey illustrations, rendered in pen and colored pencil, are the perfect backdrop for little orange Baby, who pops up in corners, in a family portrait, from behind boulders and tree stumps, in the grass, and, of course, behind Papa.

Young readers will be proud to best Papa while pointing and shouting, “there’s Baby!” Kids will also have fun naming the other animals Papa encounters on his search, an adventure that also offers adults the opportunity to teach spatial relation words, such as up, inside, outside, under, over, down, around, in front of, and behind. And you can bet that when the story ends little ones will—just like Baby—want to do it again.

Although I used the pronouns her and she in this review, gender pronouns are not used in the text, making this a universal story for all kids.

Sure to be a hit with little ones and a terrific take-along book for fun outings or for times when waiting is expected, Where’s Baby? would make an often-asked-for addition to home, classroom, and public libraries for cuddly or active story times that are sure to lead into real games of hide-and-seek.

Ages 3 – 7

Tundra Books, 2020 | ISBN 978-0735264984

To learn more about Anne Hunter, her books, and her art, visit her website.

National Cuddle Up Day Activity

Snuggle Buddy Craft

It’s easy to make your own snuggle buddy with a few pieces of fleece, some fiber fill, and a needle and thread or fabric glue. The great thing about creating your own friend is you can personalize your pal anyway you want!

Supplies

• 1 8-inch by 11-inch piece of fleece in the color or your choice for the body (or scraps if you have some from an earlier project). A larger piece of fleece can be used to make a larger buddy
• 1 5-inch by 8-inch piece of fleece in the color or your choice for the hair (or scraps if you have some from an earlier project)
• 1 small piece of fleece or other material for a pocket, clothes, or blanket
• Small scraps of fleece or other material for the face
• Fiber Fill
• Thread and sewing needle OR fabric glue
• Scissors

Directions

To Make the Body

1. Fold the large piece of fleece in half lengthwise and sew along the open side and along the bottom. Alternatively, if using a larger size piece of fleece, fold upward and sew or glue the two sides closed.
2. Turn the form inside out

To Make the Hair

1. Cut a piece of fleece as wide as your buddy and about 7 – 8 inches long
2. Fold the fleece lengthwise
3. Insert both ends of the fleece into the opening at the top of the body
4. Sew or glue the opening shut, securing the hair
5. Cut strips about ¼-inch wide from the top of the hair to close to where the hair is sown into the body

To Make a Pocket or Clothes

1. Cut a piece of fleece in the shape of a pocket, shirt, pants, diaper, or blanket
2. Sew or glue the pocket or clothes to the buddy

To Make the Face

1. Cut eyes, a nose, and a mouth in whatever way you would like your buddy to look. 
2. Sew or glue the face to the buddy

You can find Where’s Baby? at these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound

Picture Book Review