First Comes Love : All About The Birds And Bees - And Alligators, Possums, And People, Too. [Hardcover]

Jennifer Davis (Author), Clare Mackie (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Every parent awaits the question: Where do babies come from? First Comes Love is a charming introduction to the birds and the bees, not to mention alligators, spiders, dragonflies, squirrels, peacocks, and--of course--people.

Illustrated by Clare Mackie, whose clever visual jokes and whimsical flourishes will appeal as much to grown-ups as they do to children, the book marries fun rhyming text with fascinating fact to tell a story of love, courtship, and birth across the animal kingdom. Written for the ages of 4 to 8, when kids are at their most curious and least embarrassed, here is the story of the lightning bug-"When the firefly is in a flirting mode, / He scribbles and blinks a special code." The penguin--"Quivering and caressing with flippers and beaks, /They touch and talk for two full weeks." And the kangaroo--"Kangaroo babies are rarely seen, / Because they're no bigger than a lima bean." Then below, in captions that amplify the verse, kids learn that every firefly species has its own blinking language, that penguins try to find the same mate year after year, and that a new-born kangaroo stays in his mother's pouch for the first three months.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 6-Davis explains various types of mating, births, and child-rearing styles of species from octopus, firefly, and human to mosquito and penguin-all in jaunty rhyme. Because it's hard to be totally informative under the beat of rhyming couplets, there are also the picture-book equivalent of footnotes. They provide details such as "Human babies are usually born headfirst and come out through their mother's vagina" or "When a male possum goes courting, he makes a metallic clicking sound." Mackie's stylish and smart drawings are equally festive but less instructive (no genitalia are drawn or diagramed). There's lots of visual drollery in the surreal bat mates and the jolly lion family. (The lioness wears spike heels, harlequin spectacles, and carries a brief case.) This work is definitely in the Peter Mayle (Where Did I Come From? [Lyle Stuart, 1986]) camp: smiling sperm rush to a love-struck egg. This isn't the book for those who are turned off by anthropomorphic courtship and love for peacocks, spiders, and alligators. It will be largely for parents who want a vehicle for exploring the topic with their children. A book for libraries that provide a variety of approaches to the subject.-Sue Sherif, Fairbanks North Star Borough Public Library, AK

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"...for parents who want a vehicle for exploring the topic with their children." -- School Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company (May 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761122443
• ISBN-13: 978-0761122449
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #528,616 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars very basic intro to love and reproduction; adorable pictures, May 21, 2003

By 

Penelope (Southern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: First Comes Love : All About The Birds And Bees - And Alligators, Possums, And People, Too. (Hardcover)

This is a great book for a very basic introduction to love and reproduction for a young child around 4 years old. The main text of the story is cute and rhyming with no great detail about reproduction, just the words "sperm" and "eggs" without the hows of it. The pictures and words contain entertaining animal facts about how various fish, birds, and mammals court and raise their young. However, in small print on the bottom of each page are a couple of sentences containing a more in-depth explanation of reproduction, naming the body parts and how they fit together, so you can just read the rhyming cute part for a very young child and add the specifics as you choose for an older child. The illustrations are very cute and whimsical and not at all realistic; for example, baby seahorses in bonnets in a carriage and a crab as a knight in armor. There are no diagrams of actual anatomy. If you are looking for a book illustrating the male and female anatomy you will need to find a different book. This is really just a cute introduction to love and mating, and you will need other books to explain the specifics.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Confusing & not very informative, April 9, 2005

By 

L (WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: First Comes Love : All About The Birds And Bees - And Alligators, Possums, And People, Too. (Hardcover)

I got this book thinking it would actually explain the birds and the bees to my daughter. No such luck. Because it's all in rhyme, it doesn't really make much sense to a small child. And it gives trivia without explaining well how babies are actually made. Example: it tells you that "a male octopus captivates/the interest of intended mates/by changing into shimmering stripes/which pleases even the shyest types...etc. etc. How do they actually mate? It doesn't say. If you're looking for a cute little book that could spark some conversation, this is it. If you're looking for a book that is heavy on factual information that will teach your child about the birds and the bees, look elsewhere.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars cute but no answers, August 17, 2004

By 

Candy Kick "Candy Kick" (columbus, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: First Comes Love : All About The Birds And Bees - And Alligators, Possums, And People, Too. (Hardcover)

Sweet drawings and somewhat informational (if you are interested in the process of seduction in alligators, spiders, sea horses, and many other animals). But virtually no information about humans. For example, a page has a sperm and an egg cell, but neither the text nor the drawing tells where the two are coming from. Anything about sexuality is hidden behind rhyming text and caricatures of animals. While it's not a bad book to have (my 4- and 6-year-old enjoyed it), it doesn't provide any answers for a child who asks questions.