Drawings from the Newborn: Poems and Drawings of Infants in Crisis [Hardcover]

Heather Spears (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1986

These lyrical drawings and poems explore the theme of newborns in crisis. For the first time, the skill of artist and poet has been put to use in the technological environment of the neonatal intensive care ward. Heather Spears has opened a door hitherto closed to all but some health professionals and parents. In Drawings From the Newborn she discovers a poignant beauty within an otherwise harsh reality. Unlike a text on nursing, medical care or the difficulties of parenting premature babies, this work speaks to all through the language of art.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a study in the fragility, yet strength of new human life" -- Toronto Sun

"...an adventurous, courageous, innovative book that will delight parents as well as painters and poets" -- Dorothy Livesay

About the Author

Heather Spears was originally a portrait painter and is now a freelance artist and award-winning poet. Her many published books range through her talents and interests: poetry, art and science-fiction. Born and raised in Canada, she has been a resident of Denmark since 1962.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 126 pages
• Publisher: Ben-Simon Pubns (June 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0914539027
• ISBN-13: 978-0914539025
• Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 9.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,125,947 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Touching Portraits of Premature Babies, August 10, 2000

By 

Allison Martin - See all my reviews

This review is from: Drawings from the Newborn: Poems and Drawings of Infants in Crisis (Hardcover)

In Drawings from the Newborn, Heather Spears' delicate pencil illustrations bring into our hearts the tiny beings who inhabit the NICU. This collection of portraits of premature babies and sick infants in the Copenhagen NICU is a touching memorial to preemies everywhere. The intimacy of these drawings focus on the individuality of each baby, as the NICU intrudes with a glimpse of a caring hand or oxygen tube. Heather Spears has captured the feeling of sitting by the isolette of your baby for hours on end, studying their tiny features as they struggle toward life.

The drawings are accompanied by short poems which go straight to the heart. Helen Spears' is an experienced author and poet, and this is demonstrated in the poignancy of her poems about parenting and life and death struggles that make up the NICU experience.

The illustrations and poems in Drawings from the Newborn were three years in the making, as Helen Spears traveled by ferry and bicycle to the Copenhagen NICU to draw for 4-5 hours each night.

Drawings from the Newborn makes an exceptional gift for family members and professionals who would enjoy the images of the NICU through the compassionate eyes of an artist.