ALA Booklist (Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2004)

What a happy, rollicking baby. And what a rolling, rhythmic text. It's naptime on the farm, but instead of staying in his crib, Baby gets out and starts dancing. With whom? Lift the flap and see his stuffed pig. Then it's back to bed, but while Papa stretched his long johns / and Mama stitched her coat / Baby boogie-woogied / with the frisky little . . .. Yes, behind the flap is a stuffed goat. Three- and four-year-olds will enjoy screeching out what's coming next, but even toddlers will enjoy the rhyme and disclosing the animal Baby's dancing partner. The sprightly pen-and-watercolor artwork bears a very strong resemblance to the work of Helen Oxenbury. Although these pictures aren't as accomplished, their warm, cozy feeling has the same appeal.

Horn Book (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2004)

Baby keeps dancing with his stuffed animals instead of napping, so Mama and Papa give up, hauling out the fiddle to have the "best ol' polka-fest / In all of Arkansas!" The bright and bouncy rhyming text, lighthearted illustrations, and well-designed lift-the-flaps will appeal, as will the cheeky baby's flat-out refusal to stay in bed.

Kirkus Reviews

The toddler and nursery-school sets will delightedly clap and cavort in step with this wide-awake baby, who boogies with a succession of toy animals rather than settle down to sleep. Plecas's cartoon scenes of young parents in a cozy country home, patiently corralling their exuberant offspring again and again, make inviting backgrounds for an infectious rhyme, modeled on "The lady with the alligator purse," and with easily guessable punch lines hidden beneath small gatefolds: "While Papa hauled the water / And Mama fixed the chow / Baby danced the cha-cha / With the chocolate-colored . . . COW. / Whoa! Papa's water! / Whoa! Mama's chow! / Go!' Baby giggled with the chocolate-colored cow." Mama and Papa eventually throw in the towel, and dance along until the setting sun sends Baby at last to dancing dreams. Don't even try to sit still with this one. (Picture book. 3-5)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

A nimble tyke tangos his way out of naptime in this blithe, lift-the-flap book with sturdy laminated pages. Down on the farm, Mama and Papa repeatedly try to put Baby down for a nap: "Inside, Baby closed his eyes./ 'Sleep tight,' his mama said./ 'Your pa and I have chores to do./ You better stay in bed.' " But, as soon as Mama and Papa leave the room, Baby leaps up, shaking his groove thing with a different stuffed animal each time. "While Papa shaved his whiskers,/ And Mama washed her wig…/ Baby danced the polka/ With the polka-dotted...." The rhymed answer is hidden by a large flap, which depicts Baby dancing as his body masks his partner. By lifting the flap, readers reveal the impish infant dancing with an equally animated animal (in this case, a spotted pink pig). After abortive attempts to keep Baby in bed, Mama and Papa give in, and they all dance the night away, deciding, "We'll have the best ol' polka-fest/ In all of Arkansas." Beaumont's (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Being Friends) rhymes roll perfectly off the tongue, making the story ideal for reading aloud. Using paints, colored pencils and sketchy, black outlines, Plecas (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Love That Baby!) captures hilarious facial expressions and jubilant dance poses. This tireless toddler and his toe-tapping is likely to dance his way into readers' hearts. Ages 2-up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Mar.)

School Library Journal

PreS-Mama and Papa put their baby down for a nap, but the youngster feels like dancing. Each time the adults set out to do a chore, Baby escapes the crib and boogie-woogies, cha-chas, or shooby-doobies with a different stuffed-animal companion. Soft pastel illustrations portray a cozy farmhouse and sturdy flaps on every other page hide the toys so that listeners can guess who the next dance partner will be. "While Papa shaved his whiskers,/And Mama washed her wig-/Baby danced the polka/With the polka-dotted- Pig." In the end, the entire family, including the cat, cannot resist temptation: "Get your fiddle!' said the mama./And your dancing shoes!' said Pa./`We'll have the best ol' polka-fest/In all of Arkansas!'" Baby finally falls asleep after the sun goes down "With dreams of polka parties/Still a-dancing in his head." A bright and lively bedtime selection.-Olga R. Kuharets, Broward County Libraries, Fort Lauderdale, FL Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.