Julius, the Baby of the World, by Kevin Henkes

Plot Summary:

Julius, the Baby of the World, by Kevin Henkes is the story of the arrival of a new baby. Lilly is eagerly awaiting the birth of her baby brother, Julius. Once Julius is born, Lily cannot stand the baby. “Disgusting!” is what she refers to the coos and caresses of her parents. Lily is placed in time out for calling Julius the germ of the world. Lily hates that she no longer is the center of attention and refuses to accept Julius. One day, Lily over hears Cousin Garland be mean to Julius and being the true big sister, she is she intervenes.

Impression about the book

Julius, the Baby of the World, by Kevin Henkes is a fabulous picture book. The visual elements of this book are a true representation of a quality picture book.

The soft pictures throughout Julius, the Baby of The World are brilliantly placed. The delightful scenes in Julius, The Baby Of the World are used to direct the viewer’s eyes from the message on the page correlating it perfectly to the hilarious illustrations making the line harmoniously flow through the book. The two-dimensional objects representing the characters in Julius, the Baby of The World are appealing to the viewer. The two-dimensional illustrations provide unification in shape allowing the viewer to appreciate the characters and the setting on each page. Kevin Henkes uses soft warm hues with lightness in value to capture a quintessential mouse family. Julius, the Baby of the World is soft in texture. The unification of the words in print for Julius, the Baby of The World and the illustrations are a harmonious entity. Henkes symmetrically depicts each event accurately on the page.

Reviews / Reviews Excerpts

Julius, The Baby Of The World by Kevin Henkes contains all the visual elements that make this picture book memorable. Aside from the illustrations, the story line is written harmoniously with the text. This book is about acceptance, jealousy, consequences for your actions, and standing up for what is right. Julius, the Baby of the World is a superior picture book.

Suggestions for library use:

Librarians could use this book as a read aloud. Also, this book can be a recommendation for those students who might be experiencing jealousy. The librarian can show the pictures to have the students to captivate the wonderful storyline.