Poetic text and evocative images infused with love and warmth welcome a new baby.
In dreamy poetry and paintings, this gentle book is a lyrical and loving tribute to an unborn child as she waits to be introduced to the world.
A baby, “floating cozily in her mother’s womb,” hears the “thump-thump” of her mother’s heart, feels the calm safety of floating, and kicks “the edge of her world.” Accompanying this soothing text are images of a baby floating in a wash of colors, surrounded by peaceful but surreal imagery: some flamingos in the distance, a deep blue whale underwater, or the babe herself encased in a translucent chrysalis or seedpod. “Inside this beautiful world she is a vast universe, a small sprouting seed.” But then, something starts happening! The currents lift her toward something exciting, and now there are new noises, new feelings, and new colors. Out in the world, the baby’s outlines gain definition; she cries out and then takes a breath. Finally baby is united with mother on the page and welcomed into the world. “For she is born.” It’s undeniably a lovely book but perhaps more suited for mothers-to-be and new mothers than actual children. Its loving intent is clear, but it carries neither the informational heft of such books as Miranda Paul and Jason Chin’s Nine Months (2019) nor a new-sibling narrative for expectant older sibs.
(This book releases first as a digital edition, with print release currently scheduled for Aug. 4, 2020.)
Poetic text and evocative images infused with love and warmth welcome a new baby. (Picture book. 2-4, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-77306-169-6
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original...
A sweetened, condensed version of the best-selling picture book, The Kissing Hand.
As in the original, Chester Raccoon is nervous about attending Owl’s night school (raccoons are nocturnal). His mom kisses him on the paw and reminds him, “With a Kissing Hand… / We’ll never be apart.” The text boils the story down to its key elements, causing this version to feel rushed. Gone is the list of fun things Chester will get to do at school. Fans of the original may be disappointed that this board edition uses a different illustrator. Gibson’s work is equally sentimental, but her renderings are stiff and flat in comparison to the watercolors of Harper and Leak. Very young readers will probably not understand that Owl’s tree, filled with opossums, a squirrel, a chipmunk and others, is supposed to be a school.
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original shouldn’t look to this version as replacement for their page-worn copies. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-933718-77-4
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Tanglewood Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A good choice for caregivers looking for a positive, uncomplicated introduction to a new baby that focuses on everything an...
A little boy exults in his new role as big brother.
Rhyming text describes the arrival of a new baby and all of the big brother’s rewarding new duties. He gets to help with feedings, diaper changes, playtime, bathtime, and naptime. Though the rhyming couplets can sometimes feel a bit forced and awkward, the sentiment is sweet, as the focus here never veers from the excitement and love a little boy feels for his tiny new sibling. The charming, uncluttered illustrations convincingly depict the growing bond between this fair-skinned, rosy-cheeked, smiling pair of boys. In the final pages, the parents, heretofore kept mostly out of view, are pictured holding the children. The accompanying text reads: “Mommy, Daddy, baby, me. / We love each other—a family!” In companion volume I Am a Big Sister, the little boy is replaced with a little girl with bows in her hair. Some of the colors and patterns in the illustrations are slightly altered, but it is essentially the same title.
A good choice for caregivers looking for a positive, uncomplicated introduction to a new baby that focuses on everything an older sibling can do to help. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-545-68886-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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