Review by Booklist Review
Originally self-published, this debut from a new imprint celebrates the message that each child is a unique wonder: Never before . . . has the world . . . known a you. Like Debra Frasier's On the Day You Were Born (1991), the text, directed straight to children, describes how the world, from the smallest ladybug to the sky's smiling moon, welcomes its latest arrival: You. The computer-generated, collage artwork is sometimes blurry, and some of the compositions lack clear, dramatic shapes and figures that will pull a young audience. In addition, children may miss the symbolism in the images: musical notes meant to represent the sound of a child's name, for example. Still, children will enjoy finding the reassuring face of the moon on each page, and the rhyming, rhythmic text includes lines that beg for participation: The sound of your name is a magical one. Let's say it out loud before we go on. Many parents will welcome this opportunity to tell their children how special and loved they are. --Gillian Engberg Copyright 2006 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The birth of a baby-"the one and only ever you"-causes jubilation throughout creation in this quietly celebratory picture book from newcomer Tillman. Polar bears dance, giraffes weave to the sound of brass horns, and "the moon smiled with such wonder/ that the stars peeked in to see you/ and the night wind whispered,/ `Life will never be the same.' " Tillman successfully sidesteps the soft-focus sappiness that can accompany this genre. Her writing has the authenticity of whispered conversation; occasionally, she pauses in her exaltations of the baby to address the subject directly: "I think I'll count to three so you can wiggle your toes for me." Her strong, assured paintings truly set this book apart. The pictures subtly radiate golden glints of moonlight, and her almost sculptural rendering style gives her characters a hefty physicality that counterbalances the ethereal sentiments being expressed. Although one suspects that grown-ups will be most taken with the topic and treatment, this is one of those rare baby books that should make both skeptics and sentimentalists of all ages happy. All ages. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Rhyming text extols and celebrates the uniqueness of a newborn. "Because there had never been anyone like you-ever in the world." As the news of the birth travels, creatures around the world celebrate. "When the polar bears heard, they danced until dawn." "-the geese flew home." "Heaven blew every trumpet-." The text sits on white pages opposite large, richly colored illustrations. The moon appears in all of the paintings-as reassuring as the text's sentiment. Golden musical notes float across the sky as white polar bears dance and giraffes sway to the sounds of the moon's saxophone. The dark blue night skies make a beautiful and dramatic setting for this special night. The painterly art and poetic quality of the text make this an attractive book. Parents and grandparents are most likely to appreciate it, but they will undoubtedly want to share it with a child.-Carolyn Janssen, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
