A while back I posted a slew of books to welcome new babies. Here are two more gems to add to that list:
Mama’s Belly, written by Kate Hosford, pictures by Abigail Halpin
published in 2018 by Abrams Books for Young Readers
A cozy family of three is almost ready to welcome a new baby girl and each one of them is full-on glad with anticipation.
The happy big-sister-to-be narrates these waiting days, with her mama’s belly “rising up like a wave.” She looks forward to all the magical moments to come — of singing, and comforting, and washing that new baby’s belly “until it shines.”
Abigail Halpin saturates these pages with rich color — sapphire and cayenne, olive and marigold. They glow with warmth, comfort, and love. Such a gorgeous little gem for ages 3 and up.
A Most Unusual Day, written by Sydra Mallery, illustrations by E.B. Goodale
published in 2018 by Greenwillow Books
This tender picture book is one of the nicest adoption stories I’ve seen.
Caroline awakens to a most unusual day, though for the better part of this account, we’re not quite sure what makes it so. Yet there it is — all her normal ways of meeting the day have gone higgledy piggledy. She forgets her socks. She’s distracted at lunchtime. Her usual grace is exchanged for an all-elbows sort of conflabberation!
Finally, at the end of the day, there are Daddy and Mommy, also sporting a bit of disarray, as well as a tiny, sweet bundle “from far, far away.” That little darling has now “made everything, every usual thing, unusually new and perfectly right.”
Swoon-worthy prints by the talented E.B. Goodale (she also did the artwork for Windows) grace each page with lightness, tenderness, and beauty. A joy for any family, not just adoptive ones. Ages 3 and up.
orange marmalade 