On the Day You Were Born (Hardcover)

by Debra Frasier (Author) "On the eve of your birth word of your coming passed from animal to animal..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"On the eve of your birth ... the Earth and her creatures with the Sun and the Moon all moved in their places, each ready to greet you the very first moment of the very first day you arrived."

Every child loves to hear the story of how he or she came into the world, but usually very little attention is paid to how the world was in that magical moment. For any family who feels a special connection to nature and the flow of life, On the Day You Were Born will help baby understand how each of us is received not just by our family, but by the universe and its gentle ways. The simple, bright pictures in Debra Frasier's book recall Matisse, and they won the book a Parents' Choice Award for illustration. In the final pages, each illustration and theme in the book (migrating animals, gravity, glowing moon, rising tide, etc.) is explained in simple and direct language that can be used to teach older children how nature works on our planet, and how Earth works in the universe.

This beautiful hardcover book is accompanied by a washable, soft rattle that has a donut-shaped yellow handle with "Welcome" embroidered on it in blue thread. The head of the rattle is a round, blue sky embroidered with yellow stars and a red figure of a child dancing. (From birth) --Katherine Ferguson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
Offering a curious amalgam of the mystical and the scientific, Frasier's first picture book is a paean to nature and to birth. The poetic text explains how the sun, moon, ocean tides, rain, trees, air, animals and people of the world work together to create a welcoming setting for a baby's arrival. Young readers will find Frasier's rhythmic passages soothing, if not always entirely comprehensible: "On the day you were born the Moon pulled on the ocean below, and, wave by wave, a rising tide washed the beaches clean for your footprints. . . ." The volume concludes with notes on the natural and technical phenomena mentioned in the text, including animal migration, the rotation of the earth, gravity, stellar constellations and precipitation. Illustrating this unusual book, Frasier's paper collages feature a mostly muted palette of earth tones that is somewhat lacking in child appeal. Though it might spark interesting discussions with an older child, this work will be over the heads of little ones. All ages.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; First printing edition (March 15, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0153021608
• ISBN-13: 978-0152579951
• ASIN: 0152579958
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (86 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #136,226 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Radiant and moving, July 13, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: On the Day You Were Born Book-and-Rattle Set (Hardcover)

"On the day you were born a forest of tall trees collected the Sun's light in their leaves, where, in silent mystery, they made oxygen for you to breathe..." Radiant and moving, it doesn't get much better than this explaining what went on in the Universe the day your child was born. A book that I highly recommend. A child will feel and know that they are a significant part of Universe. A beautiful book to give as a gift.Although this book is recommended for the 4-8 group, a child of 12 months will be fascinated and held captive with this book and grow along with the book.This is a beautiful book celebrating the joy and wonder when a child is born. It describes how everyone, from animals to people to Earth itself, celebrated when 'you'were born. A child can't help but feel loved and very special when this book is read to them. And the parent, who is reading the book, can't help but realize how wonderful bring a new baby into the world really is. This is an ideal gift for a family when a child is born.

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Quintessential Baby Gift, April 6, 2002

By	W. Kaplan "calyndula" (Wynnewood, PA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I wish I had known about this book long before now, because it would have been the only gift I would have given to any new parent. It certainly will be so from now on.

In the most beautiful and spiritual wording imaginable, this book tells a child in no uncertain terms that his or her birth was a celebration--a cosmic event that changed the world for the better. Although it has some New Age aspects to it, it transcends any religion or dogma, and is, quite simply, completely beautiful.

I want to buy it now, for my two teenaged children to cherish and keep. I want them to know that even though I often want to wring their respective teenaged necks, this is what they mean to me--every single word in this glorious book. I have never felt so moved over a baby gift as I am over this one. It is truly a gift of the heart, not only for me, but for anyone who is, or who has just become, a parent.

Sometimes we forget just how much of a celebration the arrival of a new child can be. "On the Day You Were Born" is meant to remind us, and our children, now and forever. What a wonderful keepsake!!

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Birthday Tradition, June 17, 2000

By	Barbsjemms (The Desert) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On the Day You Were Born Book-and-Rattle Set (Hardcover)

In my family, we have used this book to start a yearly b-day tradition. I read this book to each of my children the night of her birthday with the whole family in attendence. I have yet to get through a reading without crying. Am tearing up thinking about it now LOL A lovely, touching book and a wonderful way to communicate to your children how deeply they are loved.