Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Originating as a Kickstarter project in 2012, Silverberg and Smyth's guide to babies and birth is as notable for what isn't in it as what is: sperm, eggs, midwives, and cesareans are mentioned, but references to mothers, fathers, boys, or girls are absent, allowing the book to be used by families with a variety of configurations and circumstances. Smyth's cartoons recall the work of Todd Parr, with a bright crayon-box palette. Silverberg's writing is informative yet sufficiently general to let adults tailor the accompanying conversations as needed ("When grown ups want to make a baby they need to get an egg from one body and sperm from another body"). A useful springboard for conversations about childbirth, no matter the family. Ages 2-6. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Intending to be "a book for every kind of FAMILY and every kind of KID," this title has lofty aspirations that are mostly successful. It emphasizes that not everyone goes about having a baby the same way. Silverberg explains that the genetic material in a sperm or egg has stories to tell "about the body [it] came from." The bold, stylized illustrations show non-gender-specific people in a rainbow of hues, some with internal parts to make a baby and others without. Refreshingly, anatomically correct terminology is used in most cases, although when describing a birth, the author writes, "Some babies are born by coming out through a part of the body that most people call the vagina," as if that term were debatable. The text also states that many babies are born with other kinds of medical intervention at the hands of midwives and doctors, providing a well-rounded view of modern birth. The final spread asks, "Who was waiting for you to be born?" and successfully makes the point that the people waiting for the birth to occur are excited. This is a solid, occasionally quirky book on an important topic.-Jenna Boles, Greene County Public Library, OH (c) Copyright 2013. 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.
Review by Horn Book Review
This purposefully vague sex education picture book describes the egg and sperm joining together without assigning gender to parents or even a location for where the egg and sperm meet. Bright cartoony illustrations, ` la Keith Haring, are as confusing as the text. While striving to be inclusive, this book leaves out families who want to share accurate information. (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A sex educator and an artist with a graphics background craft an unusually flexible explanation of baby-making for sharing with young children. Silverberg's text and Smyth's inclusive illustrations work together not only to answer questions about where babies come from, but also to provide an opportunity for caregivers to share as much or as little about that particular child's history as they want. Eggs and sperm come together to share their stories, there's a uterus to grow in, people waiting for the child's birth and two possible ways to exit (through the vagina or through a temporary opening in the belly). The narrative leaves lots of room for child listeners to see their own stories, and it even invites conversation. "Who was waiting for you to be born?" Lively illustrations done with heavy lines inked in a cartoon style make extensive use of color la Todd Parr. They feature children and adults of strikingly varying ages, skin colors (lots of greens, blues and purples, some grays, pinks and oranges) and apparent abilities or disabilities. This book was born as a Kickstarter project and self-published, first, in 2012. Designed for all kinds of children in all kinds of families, this will be particularly welcome in adoptive and nontraditional families but is, uniquely, an appealing and informative complement to early sex-education discussions with any child. (Informational picture book. 2-7)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
