Baby Boom!

So, I recently found out that I am expecting my FOURTH child in 2016.  Telling my three older children that they would be getting a new sibling made me think about all of the wonderful picture books about brothers, sisters, and bringing home a new baby.

One of my favorite books about getting a new sibling (or several new siblings) is Fine As We Are by Algy Craig Hall. When Little Frog's mother asks him if he would like to have a brother or sister his response is "No. We're just fine as we are."

This is my favorite line of the book. Probably, because I think many young children, if given their druthers, would choose to not have a sibling. I know that my oldest daughter has been less than enthusiastic all three times we have informed her that a new brother or sister was on the way. Being 14 this last time, her response was: "I am not changing diapers!".

As expected, Little Frog is not a happy camper when oodles of tiny baby frogs are leaping all over the place. Eventually he comes to see that, even though little brothers and sisters can be loud and frustrating, they can also be fun.

Interesting side note: Fine As We Are was inspired by Algy Craig Hall's own experiences of being a very content only child until the day his parents brought home QAUDRUPLETS!!! Hey, he got off easy compared to Little Frog.


Along the same lines as Fine As We Are, but with a bit more humor is Another Brother by Matthew Cordell. Davy has 12 little brothers who annoyingly  copy every move he makes.That is until they get older and have interests of there own. Suddenly, Davy is all alone again and he is not sure if he like it.


I adore Cordell's playful and cartoony (I know that is not a word, but if you read the book you will understand what I mean) illustrations. I especially like the one where it shows his Petey puking on a scarf that Davy knitted.

If you like Another Brother check out Matthew Cordell's other books and his blog.  His most recently published book, Wish, is a beautiful story for new moms and dads who may (or may not have) encountered difficulties in starting a family.  Once again, you have Cordell's adorable, whimsical illustrations, this time featuring a family of elephants. The elephant couple want to have a baby, but begin to worry that it will never happen until, finally, their wish to expand their family is granted!  Wish is just a magical little story about the joy and wonder of starting a family.

Getting back to siblings there are plenty of books about bringing home a new baby that feature some of your favorite characters from children's literature. I grew up with all of the Frances books so, of course, I have to include A Baby Sister for Frances. The Frances books were written by Russell Hoban and illustrated by his then wife, Lillian Hoban. I know that I have mentioned this amazing writer/illustrator team as creating one of my all time favorite Christmas books, Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, which was made into a Jim Henson Christmas special that I force my children to watch with me every December.

Speaking of husband and wife writing teams Stan and Jan Berenstain have a book titled The BerenstainBears' New Baby in which Sister Bear first joins the family. the nice thing about the Berenstain Bears book is that it does not just address the new baby, but also Mama Bear's pregnancy. When I was pregnant and my children were toddlers it was always difficult for them to accept that I could not carry or hold them like I used to. I particularly like the illustration that shows Mama Bear's lap getting smaller and smaller until Brother Bear eventually falls off.

Of course, there are five Berenstain Bears now so there is also a book about the arrival of Honey Bear titled The Berenstain Bears and Baby Makes Five. You can check out both to show your child how families can continue to change and grow.

Ok, my last book featuring a classic character is The New Baby by Mercer Meyer. Come on, it is impossible to dislike Little Critter and Meyer has written a book featuring the adorable little porcupine, guinea pig, wombat, or whatever the heck he is for every occasion.

Maybe your current children are asking more pointed questions about how this baby got in your tummy and they are not buying the whole stork fairy tale. Well, children's author, Robie H. Harris, has multiple books on the subject of the birds and the bees for every age level.

The great thing about these books is you can look through them and decide not only how much information your child is ready for, but also how much you are comfortable sharing. I think books are an excellent way to answer kids' questions without being reduced to stammers and giggles when they want to know how that baby got in your tummy.

I find it so sad that Harris' books top the list of banned books every year.  Eventually, kids are going to learn how things work and I would rather them receive factual and age appropriate information than whatever gobbledegook their best friend overheard from his 16 year old brother. Trust me because this happened  to me when my son was 10 and trying to undo what he learned on the school bus was much more difficult and embarrassing for me.

Now, if only someone would write a children's book that explains to my kids why mommy is laying on the bathroom floor after puking her guts out everyday. Why didn't Mama Bear have to deal with never ending morning sickness?