Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born [Hardcover]

Jamie Lee Curtis (Author), Laura Cornell (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 12, 1996 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

An exuberant story about adoption and the importance of a loving family finds a small child asking her parents to tell her again about the night of her birth, demonstrating that it is a cherished tale she knows by heart.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Actress Curtis's return engagement amply confirms the promise shown in her debut picture book (When I Was Little). A sweet and sunny look at adoption, the story is framed as a much-loved and clearly much-requested family tale, and rings true from beginning to end. Combining wit ("Tell me again how you carried me like a china doll all the way home and how you glared at anyone who sneezed") with candor ("Tell me again how you couldn't grow a baby in your tummy, so another woman who was too young to take care of me was growing me"), Curtis deftly addresses the logistics of adoption in a matter-of-fact manner that radiates love and reassurance. Cornell, who also illustrated Curtis's previous books, again serves up whimsical, Roz Chast-like watercolors crammed with amusing visual asides: a jar of diaper cream sports the label "Tub o' Lard"; a tiny bandage on a newborn's tummy carries the notice "future bellybutton"; a little girl and her dog, tucked cozily into bed, wear matching curlers (the girl's in her hair; the pup's on his ears). It's hard to imagine a warmer celebration of the special joys of an adopted family. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2?While Curtis's fame as an actor may get this adoption story special attention, it deserves recognition in its own right. If the title suggests a blow-by-blow description of the birth process, readers are quickly set straight; the news arrives by telephone. The narrator's adoptive parents rush to the hospital via plane, and any questions about the identity of the birth mother are brushed aside; she is simply "too young" to take care of her child. The new parents see their daughter in the nursery, howling wide-mouthed and oblivious to their pleased and loving gazes. Both participate equally in this tale; the first night home with the baby, the father tells her about baseball, holding her and a bat cradled in his arms. The humor implicit in the text is made explicit in the illustrations: watery, cartoonstyle watercolors with fine-pen accents to show outlines and facial features. This book exudes action and light; nothing here will lull children to sleep, except the warmth of feeling and comfort. It does not delve into the complexity of adoptive dynamics, but simply affirms family love, the pleasure parents feel about new babies, and how pleased children are to hear the story of their birth.?Ruth K. MacDonald, Bay Path College, Longmeadow, MA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (August 12, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060245298
• ISBN-13: 978-0060245290
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (109 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,977,485 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jamie Lee Curtis is the author of eight best-selling children's books that address core childhood subjects and life lessons in a playful, accessible way. Jamie finds the inspiration for her writing all around her - in the experiences of her children, her godchildren, her friends - and of course in her own life. Her first book, When I Was Little, was sparked by her then-four-year-old daughter's boast that she was no longer "little." Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born, a celebration of adoption and the start of a new family, was inspired by the adoption of her own children. And as an author, of course Jamie loves big words and knows that words have power. Her latest book, Big Words for Little People, gives young children the knowledge and power of their own "big words." All of Jamie's best-selling picture books are illustrated by Laura Cornell: Big Words for Little People; Is There Really A Human Race?; It's Hard To Be Five: Learning How To Work My Control Panel; I'm Gonna Like Me: Letting Off A Little Self Esteem; Where Do Balloons Go? An Uplifting Mystery; Today I Feel Silly and Other Moods That Make My Day; Tell Me Again About The Night I Was Born; and When I Was Little: A Four-Year-Old's Memoir of Her Youth. Jamie is also well known as a film actress, with starring roles in such acclaimed films as Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Freaky Friday, True Lies, Trading Places and A Fish Called Wanda. Jamie is the mother of Annie and Thomas and is married to actor/director Christopher Guest. They live in California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

84 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Touching Book for All Kids, April 20, 2006

By 

J. Conn "Wife, Mom, Doula, Big Geek" (Pittsburgh, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born Board Book (Joanna Colter Books) (Board book)

I first read this book years before we adopted, and even then it brought me to tears. We have several adopted family members in different generations and we adopted internationally. Even though I knew this wouldn't be exactly like our story, I couldn't wait to get this book for my son. Some issues other people mentioned:

1. This story isn't like mine/ours/our child's. This book is very clearly a domestic out-of-state (or at least out of town) adoption story. My response to this is "So?" If a biological parent had a book telling a similar story, it wouldn't match everyone else in the world's birth. It's still a wonderful way to both introduce the idea of adoption as well as talk about all the different ways people can become a family. Our son's bio mother wasn't "too young to care for" him, and we are able to "have a baby", but again, that's not the point of the book.

2. It glosses over the feelings of loss an adoptee has. Maybe it does, but should EVERY single book about adopting for little kids cover this? Since the book is being written about a newborn, what should Curtis add "Even though you were too young to understand, we know that someday you will feel a sense of loss of your biological families and there is nothing wrong with that and we will be sure you stay in touch with her if she chose an open adoption?" It's a book for little kids about Mommies and Daddies being happy to have a baby.

3. I am not sure what the person who was unhappy about the "B-word" (birth? biological? I can't remember) being used would have preferred. Terminology is a matter of personal prefernce for the most part, while we all agree "Real Mom" isn't the best, birth mom, bio mom, natural mom, whatever - we'll use the words our family feels most comfortable with. I thought it was a great way to include the birth parents in the family tree. Your "roots" grow where you're planted, not just where you came from.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is adopted, is an adoptive parent, or wants to talk to children about adoption.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TELL ME AGAIN--A CELEBRATION OF LOVE IN WORDS AND PICTURES!, March 10, 2001

By 

"baklavaschwartz" (The NJ Meadowlands, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born (Paperback)

Initially, I ordered this book for my niece who is just a little more than 2 years old. Adopted by my younger sister in Russia at 10 months, her arrival in our family has been a joyous occurrence. One of the things I love and most look forward to is giving her books, telling her stories, and maybe even writing a book *for her* some day. Meanwhile, Jamie Lee Curtis has created a joyful interlude from her own experience as an adoptive parent. This book oozes love and whimsy, and the illustrations by Laura Cornell are delightful to the eye, yet filled with amusing details which will keep them fresh through at least a million readings;) I can't wait to read this story to my niece...if I can bring myself to part with the book!

A previous reviewer (apparently an unhappy adoptee) spouted opinions full of anger and resentment, alluding to "Jamie Lee's obvious bias against birth mothers." I found that very sad. After all, this is a children's book, and IMHO, it was created as a means of expressing an adoptive parent's joy and love for this child, and told through the eyes of the child, it has a precious quality, reminding us how easy it is to teach a child to love and be loved. This book is a treasure, and while I think it's a special gift for any adopted child, it's warmth and whimsy will prove irresistible to anyone who reads it!

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A funny and sweet true-to-life adoption story., October 6, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born (Hardcover)

Tell Me Again: About the Night I Was Born is an account of that wished-for moment in every prospective adoptive parent's life: the phone call that brings them and their child together. Written in a sweet, easy language that a young child can understand, this book portrays both the magic and drama that accompany this momentous event. I've read the book a mere two weeks before our own call came and read it again upon returning home with our new son. I found so many similarities between the book and our own experience it brought tears to my eyes. It's a book I would love to share with my son when he is a little older. Any adopted child who has ever wondered "How did I come to be with you?" will be enriched by the magic this book conveys. The accompanying illustrations are vivd and happy, enriching the text and adding to the festive atmosphere. This book is all about love, and the message comes through loud and clear