Baby on the Way (Sears Children's Library) [Hardcover]

Martha Sears (Author), William Sears (Author), Christie Watts Kelly (Author), Renee Andriani (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up | Series: Sears Children's Library

Part of a two-book debut of the Sears Children's Library picture books, this title provides helpful information for young children expecting a new brother and sister. Full color.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Big brothers and sisters seeking reassurance will appreciate Baby on the Way by noted adult authors Dr. William Sears and Martha Sears (The Baby Book; The Pregnancy Book) as well as Christie Watts Kelly, illus. by Renee Andriani. Physical and emotional realities of pregnancy are likened to things a child can understand. Morning sickness, the authors explain, is similar to "the way your tummy feels yucky when you eat three slices of birthday cake and ice cream." Sidebars throughout suggest things siblings can do to prepare for baby's arrival, such as visiting the doctor with their mother, or asking her "what it felt like when you were growing inside her." An endnote offers tips to parents and suggests additional resources. What Baby Needs, from the same team, helps siblings adjust to having the new baby in the house.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-Appealing picture books written by attachment-parenting advocates. In the first title, the anticipation of a baby is shown as an opportunity for family members to love and support one another. The text, addressed to an older sibling, describes both the changes that the family prepares for and the ways that the baby, growing inside the mother's uterus, might make her feel: hungry, thirsty, and tired. Older brothers and sisters are encouraged to see themselves as competent to contribute at this time. What Baby Needs is a warm look at how life in the family changes to accommodate the needs of a newborn, and the care an infant requires. Both texts are prefaced by notes for adults on what kind of information and experiences might be helpful or appropriate to share with a child. In addition, sets of text bars throughout give parents and youngsters the opportunity to talk more about the issues raised by the simpler text of the books. In each book, the lighthearted, full-color cartoons bring some welcome new images to baby books: breastfeeding, babywearing (including both a dad and a mom with an infant in a baby sling), and the newborn snoozing near the parents' bed in an adjacent co-sleeper. Final pages in both volumes provide interested adults with notes on attachment parenting, including its key components (birth bonding, breastfeeding, babywearing, co-sleeping, and belief in the language value of a baby's cry).
Kathie Meizner, Montgomery County Public Libraries, Chevy Chase, MD
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316787671
• ISBN-13: 978-0316787673
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 0.4 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,228 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #12 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Health > Sexuality
  • #66 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Family Life > New Baby

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars So-so and not for little ones, February 12, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Baby on the Way (Sears Children's Library) (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my 2 year old because it shows the new baby nursing, and I really want her to get used to the idea that her sibling will nurse like she did. Unfortunately, it contains way too much information for a little one and is geared too much towards what is happening to mama while she is pregnant. I mean, yeah, my stomach was upset but it's not my two year old's job to worry about it. I would have appreciated less information about pregnancy and birth and more about the actual arrival of the new baby.

I also thought it was odd that the gurus of attachment parenting put so much in this book about how mommy and daddy will be expanding the house, buying new stuff, making a place for the baby to sleep, etc. Part of the beauty of attachment parenting is (in my opinion) that all of that isn't so necessary. I am trying to get my daughter to adjust to the idea of a new baby in the family bed and this book does not address that at all.

I do read it to her occasionally, but I have to change most of the wording in order for her to understand it and I skip whole pages that just aren't relative to our lives.

You might like this book if you have a much older sibling and a big house with a nursery and a crib and all that jazz, but I don't find it terribly helpful in preparing my daughter for her new sister.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect book for preparing older siblings for the baby, April 3, 2002

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Baby on the Way (Sears Children's Library) (Hardcover)

"Baby on the Way" is a superb book for preparing older siblings for the arrival of a baby in the house. Written by pediatrician William Sears, registered nurse and certified childbirth educator Martha Sears, and author Christie Watts Kelly, cofounder of the Memphis chapter of Attachment Parenting International, this book does an amazing job of adapting to young readers. The idea is that while the new baby is growing inside mommy's belly, her other children are also growing up and becoming an older brother or sister. Realizing that kids might be afraid to ask questions, this book compares what mommy is feeling to similar feelings children will certainly recognize. Of course there is a young boy and a young girl, so young readers will have someone to identify with throughout the book.

The major strengths of this book is that it provides both basic information on what is happening and how things are going to change with the arrival of the new baby, including "Answers for the Very Curious," as well as practical tips for having the older siblings involved. Every few pages there is a "What You Can Do" box that suggests things like visiting the doctor with mommy to listen to the baby's heartbeat, seeing if there are any toys or clothes to be shared with the new baby, and planning the baby's Birth Day part while you are waiting for the baby to come. The illustrations by Renee Andriani are well-suited to the task and the back of the book includes a short course on Attachment parenting and a list of resources, both written and on-line.

We did okay with preparing our son for the arrival of his sister, emphasizing how this was going to be "his" baby and how he had to be careful because he was so big and she was so small. Of course, she fully exploited this advantage and when we had our third child the first two were not too sure about it. Having a book like this back then would have been a thing of good because preparing the old ones for the new one is a big deal. "Baby on the Way" is a very impressive, loving approach to this age old problem.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of our favorites, October 5, 2005

By 

Daniel Rosenberg (Highland Park, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Baby on the Way (Sears Children's Library) (Hardcover)

We bought this for my 3 year old son when my wife was pregnant with our second boy. He loved it and still does, even though he is now 5 and his baby brother is now two! Highly recommended.