Happy Birth Day! [Hardcover]

Robie H. Harris (Author), Michael Emberley (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

A perfect gift for baby showers! Great for new big brother and sisters!

"Suddenly there you were—a whole new person, our baby! We saw all of you from head to toe and we loved you the moment we saw you."

A baby is born. From the first moments of life, she is able to breathe, to open her eyes, and to gaze at her mother's face. Soon she will nurse, suck her thumb, and sleep. In HAPPY BIRTH DAY!, Robie H. Harris tells a loving story to children about the amazing day when they were born. With a text as tender as a newborn's cheek, she tells them how loud they cried, that they could see light, hear sounds, and even sneeze. But most of all, with Michael Emberly's extraordinary illustrations—each one carefully observed and deeply moving—HAPPY BIRTH DAY! shows children how much they were loved right from the start.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-K-A warm, tender picture book in which a mother tells her daughter about her first 24 hours of life outside of the womb. The opening picture shows a bewildered, wrinkled, life-sized baby, still with her umbilical cord, supported by the doctor's hands. The cord is snipped, a nurse slips a hat on baby's head, and mother and father envelop her with love. Mother breastfeeds her, and relatives gather to admire, take photos, and welcome the new arrival. The description of the infant's first sounds and actions is gentle and poetic. Emberley's illustrations in pencil and pastels fill the oversized pages with soft-focused, cozy colors and true-to-life detail. For the special moment when parents want to answer a child's questions about birth, this book offers both facts and reassurance. The arrival of Happy Birth Day! is an occasion worth celebrating.
Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJ
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 3^-7. Young children love to look at photographs of babies, especially pictures of themselves when they were little. They marvel at their tiny toes and fingers, squinty red faces, wrinkly feet, and dainty pink nails. In a seamless blending of text and artwork, this picture book goes a session with a photo album one better, catching close up the miracle of a newborn baby and the sweet joy and physicality of its first day in the world. Harris' affectionate first-person text, focusing on one young couple welcoming a newborn, is very personal: "I'll never forget the moment you were born. . . . You let out a loud cry--about as loud as a coyote howling at the moon." Yet it is full of the universal wonder of new life and the quiet drama of family bonding. Emberley's paintings are spectacular. Large, realistic, and softly colored, they literally glow as they catch the tender moments: the baby girl naked, eyes barely open, umbilical cord still attached; squalling, fingers clutching; at mother's breast; in father's arms; peacefully asleep encircled by Mom and Dad. The book will be a hugely appealing library item, with potential for small-group use as well as lap sharing. An interview with Harris, on page 1495, lends further insight into the making of this touching book, which speaks with joy and wonder to young children and their parents. Stephanie Zvirin

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; 1st edition (July 5, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564024245
• ISBN-13: 978-1564024244
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 10 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #268,057 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Second (third...) pregnancy? Read this to your older child!, June 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Happy Birth Day! (Hardcover)

I was lucky enough to stumble upon this book when I was about 7 months pregnant with our second child. Our oldest was then almost 2 1/2. Harris's wonderful book was instrumental in preparing our daughter for the impending arrival of her baby brother. The illustrations are beautiful and life-like; excellent pastel artwork. The text did a fantastic job conveying the wonder of birth and the first day of life for a newborn. We renewed it twice, keeping it a total of 9 weeks and my daughter had it memorized by the 2nd renewal. She loved the "howling at the moon" part along with the "sneezing, hiccuping, peeing and pooping." The pictures of the naked newborn complete with umbilical cord and the baby nursing at her mother's breast were wonderful in preparing my daughter. She was totally at ease with her brother's newborn "looks" at the hospital and was not at all shocked by the sight of him nursing. I HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone wanting to prepare their older child/children for a new arrival. It would also be great for any child just for learning more about their own arrival in the world.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent illustrations. Extremely realistic text., May 26, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Ft.Myers. Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Happy Birth Day! (Hardcover)

I am a Reading Specialist and have taught Special Education students for 14 years. I found this book wonderfully stimulating and the language easy to read and follow. I recently had my 2nd baby and my husband and I have enjoyed reading this to my 2 1/2 year old daughter. I especially like that there is a realistic picture of a mother nursing her baby. Pictures like that are very hard to find. It is wonderful to see realistic pictures depicting a nursing mother and child. It is hard to find children's books that DO NOT show a baby is bottle fed only! Wish I had found this book before I had my baby so I could show my daughter what was about to happen!!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the mom who reads this book, February 24, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Happy Birth Day! (Paperback)

I love this book. My baby is still a bit too young to understand books so this one is for me. It reminds me of all the joy of her first day here, when they put her into my arms and I never knew something could feel that good. This book captures that day's experiences and feelings perfectly and serves to remind me, when I am tired and grumpy, the magic and joy that should be the overwhelming experience of having a child.