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We’re Having a Baby!

Titles to Help Welcome a New Sibling to the Family

   Having a new baby brings change for any family, and it can be a big adjustment for a child who gains that new sibling. As parents’ attention shifts toward the coming baby, the soon-to-be big sister (or brother) wonders what it might mean for her (or him). Will her parents have time for her? Will the baby want to play with her big sister, or just take all of dad’s time? Here are some fun books to share with children about having a new baby. Each looks at this change from a child’s perspective.

    There’s Going to Be a Baby, by John Burningham and Helen Oxenbury (Candlewick; 48 pp.; $16.99; ages 3–7)
Anticipation and imagination. That is the powerful mix at work when a young boy asks his mother, “When is the baby going to come?” As they walk along, she answers in a perfectly reasonable way that it will come in the fall, when it’s ready. “What will the baby do?” wonders the boy. “Maybe when the baby grows up, it will be a chef and work in a restaurant,” suggests his mother. Hmmm, the little boy isn’t sure that’s a good idea. Turn the page, and the little boy imagines a baby making pancakes, spilling a mess everywhere. As the young mother suggests straightforward answers, the little boy imagines all the trouble a baby might cause. You’ll laugh at the preschooler’s inventive imagination, but you can also feel his anxiety and uncertainty. Just what will this new baby be like? This sweetly funny book, with its retro feel and muted colors, will bring smiles to parents and children anticipating a new baby.

      I’m a Big Sister and I’m a Big Brother, by Joanna Cole, illustrated by Rosalinda Kightley (HarperFestival; 32 pp.; $6.99; ages 1–5)
These books contain simple stories that are perfect for young toddlers welcoming a new baby into their home. These reassuring picture books help toddlers understand what a new baby can do, while keeping the focus on how special their new role is as a big sister or big brother. The big sister or brother can help the baby with a bottle, can sing to the baby and can make the baby feel loved. And, they learn, they are special because they are big and have learned how to do so many things themselves. This is a positive, child-centered simple story many toddlers will relate to.

     My Baby and Me, by Lynn Reiser, with photographs by Penny Gentieu (Knopf; 28 pp.; $16.99; ages 1–4)
Toddlers and babies are fascinated by photographs of other children. This book celebrates the fun that young brothers and sisters can have together. Each spread features a photograph of a baby playing, crawling or reading with his or her older sibling. The photographs are bright and engaging, featuring four different pairs of siblings. Reiser’s rhyming text clearly speaks from the older child’s perspective. All together, this book is perfect both for older siblings wanting to show babies how everything is done, and for growing babies who love seeing bright, engaging photographs.

      Pecan Pie Baby, by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Sophie Blackall (Putnam; 32 pp.; $16.99; ages 5-9)
Even though families are excited about the news of a coming baby, children can be apprehensive about how their lives will change. In Pecan Pie Baby, Gia is sick and tired about hearing about the “ding-dang baby” all the time. Everyone keeps talking about the baby; friends at school, aunties who come to visit, everyone seems baby crazy, except Gia. She just wants her life to stay the way it has always been, just with her mom. Woodson skillfully acknowledges Gia’s anger and worry, but emphasizes the love and tenderness in her relationship with her mother. Blackall’s illustration of Gia with her cornrows and beads express a full range of emotion, and her warm tones emphasize this African-American family’s caring affection for
one another.
     Clementine and the Family Meeting, by Sara Pennypacker, pictures by Marla Frazee (Disney / Hyperion; 162 pp.; $14.99; ages 6–10)
Older children who are expecting a new sibling might enjoy reading this one. Clementine’s surely in trouble again — the “family meeting” sign is posted, and her mom is keeping silent about what’s on her mind. Clementine is used to family meetings, which are always about being nicer to her little brother, being better behaved and trying harder. But this one brings a shock: Her parents announce that a new baby is on the way. Clementine does not take this news well at all. Four is the perfect number for a family, especially for her family. Pennypacker captures how hard change is, especially for children, in the fifth installment of this popular series for readers new to chapter books.

     Mary Ann Scheuer is a librarian, teacher and mom of three children. She is the librarian at Emerson Elementary School in Berkeley. She is passionate about helping children and families find books that make them excited about reading. Find more great ideas for reading on her blog, Great Kid Books, http://greatkidbooks.blogspot.com.

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