Nine Months: Before a Baby is Born by Miranda Paul

 

Background on me: I’m married and have 3 children ages 9 and under. I’m also pregnant. All of my children are very curious about my pregnancy and the process of growth their new sibling is going through inside my belly. My 5 year old is especially inquisitive. As the weeks progress, she wants to know what does baby looks like? How big is baby? What is going on in there? I set out to find some nonfiction books for her and Miranda Paul’s Nine Months: Before a Baby is Born really was a gem among them. I thought it was perfect for the preschool through 2nd grade age range in tone, though my 3rd and 4th grade children were equally interested in looking at it together for the lifesize images of the developing child month to month.

First off, the illustrations done by Caledcott Honor artist, Jason Chin, are beautifully done realistic paintings showing a young family’s month to month progress as they wait for the developing baby to arrive.

(Paul, 2019, p. 7)

Each page has the month number, what trimester it is, and the weeks of development. Illustrations (mostly life sized) of the developing child are shown on the left sides of the pages, while paintings of the family engaged in various activities are shown on the right. 

(Paul, 2019, p.12-13)

The main text of the book follows a rhyming narrative explaining how the baby is changing and growing, while smaller sized, explanatory text has the week and month numbers.

(Paul, 2019, p. 15)

End notes include more detailed information about fetal development, what babies can do once they are born, how they compare in size to different familiar animals, and a selected bibliography.

(Paul, 2019, p. 26-27)

One of the last pages of informative text in the back includes a “What if…?” section to answer questions that may be appropriate to the pregnancy such as twins, triplets, or premature birth. A delicate question is asked on, “What if...something goes wrong?” as well. Parents can choose to highlight these end pages with their children or not. I personally liked the inclusion of them as they offer realistic, informative but age appropriate explanations.

(Paul, 2019, p. 29)

Overall, my kindergartener really enjoyed the combination of the life sized, realistic paintings of the developing baby month to month with the simple rhyming narrative of what the family is thinking and doing as the baby develops. A great introductory book for inquisitive older siblings as they prepare to meet their new baby sister or brother.

Non-fiction read-alikes and/or pairings: 

• How Big is Our Baby?: A 9-Month Guide for Soon-to-Be Siblings by Smriti Prasadam-Halls: Told through direct narration as if in conversation with the reader, the author congratulates the reader on a new sibling to come. Common questions and anxieties are addressed as the book dives into month by month illustrations of objects that are the comparative size of the developing baby. Each month offers information about how the baby is changing. The last few pages discuss the baby’s arrival and how the big sibling can help. (K to 2nd grade)

• What’s Inside Your Tummy, Mommy? by Abby Cocovini: Life-size illustrations on each page show the progress month by month of a baby growing inside a mother’s stomach while showing an illustration as well of a familiar object to compare the size of the growing baby each month. A timeline along the bottom of the pages shows the weeks accompanying each month as well. Each month’s information offers simple information about what is happening to the baby as it develops month to month and what it can now do. (1st to 3rd grade)

• The Big Day! : A New Baby Arrives by Nicola Barber: Using accompanying photographs, this book shows children going through the preparations to welcome a new baby in the family, meeting a new baby, ways to help with a baby at home, naming a baby, and celebrating their first birthday. Includes an index, glossary, and further information on relative books and websites. (K to 2nd grade)

• Baby on the Way by William Sears M.D., Martha Sears R.N., and Christie Watts Kelly: This book by renowned pediatrician, Doctor William Sears, talks in narrative form about what will happen with the mother during pregnancy, offers tips/activities on what the sibling can do as the baby grows in the mother’s stomach, and then talks about what happens when baby first arrives. Included is an opening note for parents/caregivers on attachment parenting, an end note with more information for parents on the topic, and then a list of resources including websites, relative organizations, and other books on the topic. (1st to 3rd grade)

Fiction read-alikes:

• You Were the First by Patricia McLachlan: With every page beginning with “you were the first,” this story of a baby carries the story in a voice that makes the oldest child following along with the story feel they are the center of the story over the new baby. I liked this one for making the older child feel like an important part of the new baby adventure while also pointing out what to expect when a new baby is in the home. Perfect for families expecting a new baby that only have one other child. (Pre-K to 2nd grade)

• A New Baby is Coming by Emily Menedez-Aponte: The new baby mentioned in this book is to either be one that the mother of the family is going to birth or that the baby one the family is waiting to adopt. Menedez-Aponte focuses on different anxieties children may have in this picture book like changes around the home, new items in the home, mom’s energy levels, time parent’s spend with the baby, mom going to the hospital, etc. (1st to 3rd grade)

• Little Miss, Big Sis by Amy Krouse Roenthal: Paired with illustrator Peter H. Reynolds, this picture book follows a young girl as she goes from only child to big sister in her family. The story told through very simple text starts with a young girl being told she will be a big sister and then follows through her anticipation, waiting, the birth, and what she experiences over the first year or so with her new baby sibling. (Pre-K to 2nd grade)

• Mama’s Belly by Kate Hosford: In this book a young girl and her relationship with her mother is explored as she asks questions and wonders about the new baby growing in her mother’s stomach. Questions she has wondering about what the baby will look like and be like are pondered and simple preparations the family does together to prepare for the baby are mentioned. (Pre-K to 1st grade)

• Where’s the Baby?: A Spotting Book by Britta Teckentrup: Fun look-and-find activity book to follow up with reading about new babies with younger children. Each page has a rhyme about an animal and their baby with the accompanying page showing illustrations of the same animals over and over with a hidden baby in the mix to try to find. (Pre-K to 1st grade)

More by Miranda Paul:

• Water is Water by Miranda Paul: Follows children as they interact with different forms of water from their sink, to the rain, to snow as the seasons change. (Pre-K to 1st grade)

• Whose Hands Are These? By Miranda Paul: An informational picture book showing up close illustrations of different professionals using their hands to do their individual tasks. Told in rhyme, the reader tries to guess who these hands belong to before the end of the rhyme reveals the answer. (Pre-K to 1st grade)

• Little Libraries, Big Heroes by Miranda Paul: The story of Tod Bol’s creation of Little Free Libraries and how he started a grassroots movement that has spread around the world. (1st to 3rd grade)

• Adventures to School by Miranda Paul: This nonfiction picture book follows 15 children around the world on their journeys to school in the morning. Young readers can see how different or the same their own treks compare. (2nd to 4th grade)

The following resources may be helpful for parents preparing older children for a new baby in the home:

• Gavin, M. (2018). Pregnancy slideshow (mom and baby). KidsHealth.

• American Academy of Pediatrics. (2019). How to prepare your older children for a new baby. Healthychildren.org

• Laule, S. (2017). New baby siblings. C. S. Mott’s Children’s Hospital.

• Mayo Clinic Staff. (2020). New sibling: Preparing your older child. Mayo Clinic.

• PBS Kids for Parents. (2018). Children’s books about a new baby sibling.

Nine Months: Before a Baby is Born is a 2019 Boston Globe-Horn Books Nonfiction Honor Book, a Kirkus Best Informational Picture Book of 2019, the 2019 CYBIL’s Best Elementary Non-fiction Winner, and a 2020 National Science Teaching Association Outstanding Trade Book for Students. Starred reviews for the book can be found at Kirkus Reviews, Publisher’s Weekly, and The Horn Book.

References

Paul, M. (2019). Nine months: Before a baby is born. Neal Porter/Holiday House.