NINE MONTHS: BEFORE A BABY IS BORN BY MIRANDA PAUL, ILLUSTRATIONS BY JASON CHEN

NINE MONTHS: BEFORE A BABY IS BORN follows a young child as she and her parents await the birth of a new baby. Miranda Paul's quintrains are playful and bouncy.  

Small.

Ball.

The point of a pin.

Then it divides…

Our story begins. 

Jason Chin’s detailed and accurate illustrations provide children with accurate information about pregnancy. Each two-page spread is divided in half. The left hand side shows the development of the fetus, most in actual size. The right hand side shows the family- a dad, a mom, and the big sister who is probably three or four, as they engage in a variety of “waiting for baby” activities- reading about babies, examining baby clothes, attending an ultrasound appointment, gardening, and building a crib. As the baby grows, it takes up more and more of the two-page spread. 

Rich end matter includes "More About Babies," a detailed description of a baby's development over nine months, "Whoa Baby!" (nine amazing things a baby can do before it is born), “Humans vs. Animals (gestation length for animals ranging from mice to lions to elephants) and then  “What If- What if there are two, or more than two embryos? What if a baby is born early, What if Something Goes Wrong?”

A perfect book for a big brother or sister who is waiting on a sibling to be born.