Our Baby Inside!

Half page flaps are used to good effect in this appealing book which follows the stages of a pregnancy from a single cell to the development of a small embryo and then to a full size baby ‘ready to come out and meet everyone’. On the left hand side of each double spread the story of the mother’s experience is told, from early morning sickness as she adjusts to the hormonal changes of the pregnancy, to the first scan and the first fluttering of the baby moving around in the uterus and then the hard work of giving birth. Several mothers are included in the story, including one who is expecting twins. On the right hand pages, processes and developments of the baby are described in a way children will be able to understand. For example, a sense of the increasing size of a baby growing inside the womb is helpfully explained with reference to animals: at eight weeks the baby is about the size of a tadpole and has a small tail, at twelve weeks, a baby is ‘about the length of a small mouse and getting bigger every day!’ Then by twenty weeks he or she is ‘the length of a guinea pig’ and by thirty two weeks the size of a pet rabbit and almost ready to be born. Fascinating detail is included to meet the questions children are likely to ask. A baby’s face is clearly formed at twelve weeks. The function of the amniotic sac which allows the foetus to move about and protects it from sudden jerks is well explained. Pictures and text match extremely well and the correct terminology is offered, for example: ‘embryo’, ‘foetus’, ‘umbilical cord’ and ‘placenta’. Another strength is that the authors/illustrators show the impact of a new baby on the whole family; they never hide the time and energy which have to be invested in a healthy pregnancy and then the demanding care of the new baby. This is a splendid book for a child and adult to share if a new baby is expected.