Born

March 1, 2020
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. Poetic text and evocative images infused with love and warmth welcome a new baby. (Picture book. 2-4, adult)

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April 13, 2020
In this meditative ode to childbirth by Sobol (Friend or Foe?), a fetus is on the verge of being born, “floating cozily in her mother’s womb,” the “thump-thump of her mother’s heartbeat keep her company, always.” Flush with oceanic metaphors, watercolor and digital collage spreads by Derby (Outside In) evoke a dreamily surreal womb-scape: fish, whales, and a ship all float alongside the developing fetus. The quarters are tight but mostly comfortable (“a deep calm, safe at/ home”), and in one spread, the womb is reimagined as a seedpod, the fetus snugly curled within it (“a small sprouting seed”). Everything changes as birth begins—“strong currents lift her up/ and away”—and suddenly, the newborn babe is in the world, with its “new noises,” “cool air,” and “warm hands.” The illustrations capture the tender delicacy of an infant’s first moments as the baby takes her first breath and rests on her mother’s chest, a gentleness echoed in whispers, “scruffy softness,” and “fuzzy shapes.” The book’s lack of informational context doesn’t speak to the realities of birth, but it provides an interesting thought experiment that may interest younger readers: imagining what being born feels like. Ages 3–7.