Before You Were Big

By Jennifer Davis

Book Overview

It's a subject kids love to hear about-what was I like when I was little? It's also a subject parents can discuss to help prepare a preschooler for a new sibling-this is what the baby will be doing when he or she comes home from the hospital. With an instinctive sense of what matters to kids and the grown-ups who read to them, Jennifer Davis and Laura Cornell celebrate the extraordinary milestones of a child's first year. Before You Were Big is an irresistible, lift-the-flap follow-up to Before You Were Born, a "spirited, kid-friendly, ingenious" (Boston Globe) story of pregnancy with 122,000 copies in print. Each spread tells, foremost, the story of what happens month by month, from minutes after birth to baby's first birthday. Then, under the flaps, young brothers and sisters see how far they've come since. So when the main image is about a floppy two-month-old being bathed in the sink, under the flap it's: "Now you've mastered the art of bubbly disguises, /So tub time is filled with jokes and surprises." A third layer gives facts about development, for example, how babies begin to prop themselves up in a catlike position by five months. Kids learn about soft spots and swaddling, first steps and parallel play. Jennifer Davis writes in whimsical, rhyming verse, while Laura Cornell-who is also the illustrator of Jamie Lee Curtis's bestselling children's books, with over 2.3 million copies in print-brings it all to life with her fun, bouncy, brightly colored art.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0761127321
• ISBN13: 9780761127321
• Release Date: October 2003
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
• Length: 36 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.2" x 0.8" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 3 to 6 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 1

Customer Reviews

Sure to make you smile

Very fun, cute book that commemorates all the best things of baby life! Love to give this as a gift.

Great for pregnancies after infertility too

As a fertility counselor and co-author of Helping the Stork, I'm always on the lookout for books on reproduction appropriate for parents whose pregnancy began with great joy after tough times, and maybe even the help of an egg or sperm donor. This book, told from the mom's and baby's viewpoints, would be great for any singleton pregnancy. It is not ideal for mom-only families; dads may find the illustrations of their supporting role pretty funny - the whole book is!

A must have for all moms to be!

As a mom to be, I plan to read to my child and encourage her to love learning. I know from my next door neighbor's children (ages 2 and 4) that they are very inquisitive about what is happening to me while my child grows inside me. This book really helped them understand about the new life that was on the way. It's written in terms children understand...they loved the little flaps, because it made it interactive for them!

Highly Recommended For Any Age

My daughter is only 2 1/2 years old and she loves to hear the story over and over. She points to my belly and says she was there and look at all she did. She may not quite get it all now but she loves the photos and if you ask here where she came from she'll respond with, "My Mommy's Belly". Personally it's a great way to explain birth without the gory details - instead just the fun and beauty of the moments you went through month by month.

An adorable way to share the miracle of life with your child

Before You Were Born is a charming book. Although my child was only 13 months old when I bought it , I had to have it for the future! The illustrations are great and the content is cute and appropriate at the sametime. It brought a tear to my eye when I read it. A perfect choice for a child's "library".