What's Inside Your Tummy, Mommy?

Publishers Weekly

Talk about interactive: first-time author/artist Cocovini has designed this oversize guide so that "if the mommy holds the book up to her belly, you will see what the baby looks like (actual size) inside her every month!" (For Weeks 37 to 40, a womb-shaped gatefold enables readers to visualize how the now upside-down baby "is getting ready for its birthday.") Undoubtedly anticipating kids' misgivings about a new sibling, this book is warm and nonthreatening to the max, its crayoned and watercolor spot illustrations and hand-drawn timeline lending it a homey, scrapbook/journal feel. The five or so factoids on each page are shaped around easy-to-grasp, domestic concepts, e.g., comparing the baby's size at Month 8 with that of a pumpkin. And without getting pushy, Cocovini also suggests cool ways for readers to shed their bystander status: in Month 6, for example, they can shine a flashlight on the pregnant tummy and, perhaps, watch the baby turn toward the light. This book may not entirely defuse nascent sibling rivalry, but its inviting, demystifying approach gives it all the earmarks of a Mommy's-expecting must-have. Ages 2-8. (Apr.)

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Children's Literature - Carolyn Mott Ford

When should I tell a toddler that a new baby is on the way? How can I explain what that means? These seem like simple questions, but most parents give them a lot of thought. Some moms and dads may welcome this book and feel that it offers the older child a chance to participate somewhat in the process. Although the tone is loving and non-confrontational, there is a great deal of information for a youngster to absorb. How much does a child who is young enough to be reading this picture book really want to know? Surely a little bit of information about what's going on is appropriate, but for most children, the main concern is "What does it mean to me?" Reassurance and a few explanations are all that is usually needed. Comparing the growing fetus to food products, such as rice, beans, and melons might be a little confusing to a small child who knows that food goes into the tummy and now sees that there is this baby in mommy's "stomach." Still, this well-intentioned book might fit the bill for some parents. As with many childrearing situations, opinions will vary. Reviewer: Carolyn Mott Ford

School Library Journal

PreS-K- This "nine-month guide for parents and kids to share" has a playful tone, a few unique features, and some serious shortcomings. Readers follow the progress of a fetus through life-size drawings and a calendar by which they can count down the days until the infant arrives. Factoids alternate between cute, complex, and confusing (what does "almost as big as a pumpkin" or "the size of a carton of milk" mean?). For adults who prefer to skirt the topics of sex and anatomy, this book will be easier to tolerate than Heidi Murkoff's What to Expect When Mommy's Having a Baby (HarperCollins, 2000) or Dori Hillestad Butler's My Mom's Having a Baby! (Albert Whitman, 2005). However, those books contain a healthy dose of joy and warmth along with the facts and invite children to participate in the growth of their families. There's no similar invitation in this strangely impersonal offering. It seems as though the infant has taken the sibling's place already, which is just what this type of book strives to avoid. The cries of "Hip-hip-hooray" and "Welcome, Baby!" at the book's end have a hollow ring-and worse, the author presents a mini-lecture about being careful with the new baby, being quiet when it sleeps, and being aware that it will cry a lot. This is not sounding like a whole lot of fun. While some of the facts are intriguing, and many of the illustrations are simultaneously playful and instructive, the tone and overall message here are not reassuring.-Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY

Kirkus Reviews

This welcome, oversized English import tracks the stages of fetal development month by month in actual size in a format inviting comparison with a mother's belly. Familiar objects such as a baked bean or a grown-up's finger chart the baby's growth in child-friendly terms. Each double-page spread presents facts on the left and a life-size illustration of the baby on the right. A timeline along the bottom of each page shows the baby's age in days and weeks. At nine months, a foldout page shows the full-term baby ready to enter the world. Throughout, the text uses the word "baby" for the developing fetus, although a fact bubble introduces the word "embryo." Mother and baby are clearly white, but the back cover depicts a spread of bikini-clad pregnant women of varying skin colors, showing the changes over the nine months. Parents may choose to skip the limp conclusion, which welcomes the new baby but admonishes the older child to "Remember to be quiet when the baby is asleep." (Picture book/nonfiction. 2-6)