What do you think?
Rate this book
When the Babies Came to Stay
A gentle, humorous story has a significant message of love and acceptance.
The first baby arrived on the mail plane, the second two on the ferry, the fourth asleep on a pile of nets, smelling of mackerel. Who were the babies? Where did they come from? The notes left with them said "Please keep this baby safe" and "Please give my child shelter." Only the librarian can take them home, and the library is where they grow up. The whole island helps to raise them. The fisherman teaches them to cast from the pier, the ferryman shows them charts of the sea, and from the harbormaster they learn to recognize birds.
"Who are you?" other children ask. "Why don't you look alike?" The librarian gathers them in her arms. "Families don't always look alike," she says. "And where we're going is more important than where we came from."
This charming, lighthearted fairytale contains a message of acceptance that is particularly significant for our time.
The first baby arrived on the mail plane, the second two on the ferry, the fourth asleep on a pile of nets, smelling of mackerel. Who were the babies? Where did they come from? The notes left with them said "Please keep this baby safe" and "Please give my child shelter." Only the librarian can take them home, and the library is where they grow up. The whole island helps to raise them. The fisherman teaches them to cast from the pier, the ferryman shows them charts of the sea, and from the harbormaster they learn to recognize birds.
"Who are you?" other children ask. "Why don't you look alike?" The librarian gathers them in her arms. "Families don't always look alike," she says. "And where we're going is more important than where we came from."
This charming, lighthearted fairytale contains a message of acceptance that is particularly significant for our time.
36 pages, Hardcover
First published March 24, 2020
1 person is currently reading
135 people want to read
About the author
Christine McDonnell
18 books12 followersChristine McDonnell is the author of many books for young readers, including When the Babies Came to Stay, illustrated by Jeanette Bradley, and Goyangi Means Cat, illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher. She is a longtime teacher and librarian and has taught English to immigrant women at Rosie’s Place. She lives in Boston.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
May 21, 2020
This picture book is incredibly sweet, communicating real-life messages about adoption and acceptance through its fanciful story about a librarian adopting babies that arrive on the island where she lives. I just read an ebook version of this from my library, and I like it so much that I know I will want to read a physical copy as well, once the COVID-19 shutdown ends.
In other news, I am delighted about the name Dorothy making a comeback. In the past few years, I have heard about several little girls named Dorothy, but this was my first time seeing it used as a baby name in a new book with a contemporary setting. Also, I appreciate the detail of toddler Dorothy having glasses, since I had to get glasses when I was three. It's always nice to have that representation, especially when the glasses are just part of the character, not the whole focus of the plot.
In other news, I am delighted about the name Dorothy making a comeback. In the past few years, I have heard about several little girls named Dorothy, but this was my first time seeing it used as a baby name in a new book with a contemporary setting. Also, I appreciate the detail of toddler Dorothy having glasses, since I had to get glasses when I was three. It's always nice to have that representation, especially when the glasses are just part of the character, not the whole focus of the plot.
March 6, 2020
Please find my full review here: https://www.yabookscentral.com/kidsfi...
WHEN THE BABIES CAME TO STAY is a lovely story about non-traditional families, unconditional love, and community. Four babies arrive on an island unexpectedly. No one is sure what to do with them, but the librarian reads the notes pinned to their blankets and decides that they should stay. She lives above the library, and brings the babies home with her. With the help of the other people in the community, they raise the four babies with lots of love and fun.
When the children get older and other people ask where they are from and why they don't look alike, the librarian gently explains that families don't always look alike and that where we are going is more important than where we've been. Ultimately, this book carries poetic and elegant messages about acceptance and love.
What I loved: The illustrations here are absolutely lovely with plenty of colors, people, and objects of interest filling the pages. Young children will be captivated by each gorgeous page spread. While it is a longer book in terms of words, the story carries beautifully and smoothly through the pages, easily keeping the attention of toddlers and preschoolers. This book would probably also have appeal to older picture book readers, as it's a lovely and complicated enough story to keep even older children's attention and interest.
The writing here is poetic, with elegantly flowing descriptions, and words that create images themselves. It is a pleasure to read, as the words flow easily off the tongue. This is always a great feature in picture books, which make them easier and more fun for parents to read.
Final verdict: Filled with love, acceptance, and a heaping of fun, this gorgeous picture book is a pleasure for children and their caregivers to share together. Highly recommend for children of all ages who love engaging stories and elegant illustrations.
Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.
WHEN THE BABIES CAME TO STAY is a lovely story about non-traditional families, unconditional love, and community. Four babies arrive on an island unexpectedly. No one is sure what to do with them, but the librarian reads the notes pinned to their blankets and decides that they should stay. She lives above the library, and brings the babies home with her. With the help of the other people in the community, they raise the four babies with lots of love and fun.
When the children get older and other people ask where they are from and why they don't look alike, the librarian gently explains that families don't always look alike and that where we are going is more important than where we've been. Ultimately, this book carries poetic and elegant messages about acceptance and love.
What I loved: The illustrations here are absolutely lovely with plenty of colors, people, and objects of interest filling the pages. Young children will be captivated by each gorgeous page spread. While it is a longer book in terms of words, the story carries beautifully and smoothly through the pages, easily keeping the attention of toddlers and preschoolers. This book would probably also have appeal to older picture book readers, as it's a lovely and complicated enough story to keep even older children's attention and interest.
The writing here is poetic, with elegantly flowing descriptions, and words that create images themselves. It is a pleasure to read, as the words flow easily off the tongue. This is always a great feature in picture books, which make them easier and more fun for parents to read.
Final verdict: Filled with love, acceptance, and a heaping of fun, this gorgeous picture book is a pleasure for children and their caregivers to share together. Highly recommend for children of all ages who love engaging stories and elegant illustrations.
Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.
September 18, 2020
A picture book about community, acceptance, and adoption, When the Babies Came to Stay is so sweet. Libraries are one of the best places I feel like where community and acceptance occur so I adore that the librarian is the woman who takes the children in and gives them names. I would love to adopt myself some day. (And of course the names are inspired by books)
There is so much more to family than blood. I say it all the time and this reinforces that!
There is so much more to family than blood. I say it all the time and this reinforces that!
January 14, 2022
A cheerful feel-good picture book about four babies who arrive on an island and are adopted by a big-hearted librarian. The community pitches in to help and the babies grow up knowing that "families don't always look alike" and "where we're going is more important than where we came from." An excellent read-aloud choice about diverse family life..
July 9, 2020
Sweet story about four babies that are left on an island. hHumorous read with deeper points. The librarian keeps them and the rest of the village helps raise them. A gentle look at abandonment and adoption and what really makes a family.
July 16, 2020
What a beautiful story of adoption and of "it takes a village to raise a child." Step into a soft, lovely world in which four babies are found and adopted/raised mostly by a librarian but also by the community that surrounds her.
The letters of their names all magnify the story in a delightful way to illustrate how completely they were adopted and belong to their librarian caregiver.
The letters of their names all magnify the story in a delightful way to illustrate how completely they were adopted and belong to their librarian caregiver.
September 8, 2020
I don't really know what to make of this book. It appears sweet, but I don't think the author really hit the mark on this. It's a strange one at the very least.
April 14, 2020
Christine McDonnell tells a story of four babies arriving on an island, one on"the mail plane, the second two on the ferry, the fourth asleep on a pile of nets, smelling of mackerel." They all have notes that say things like "Please take care of my baby." No one knows what to do, but the librarian (in her book cart) takes them in, rearranges a storeroom (she lives above the library) and raises them, not without help, however. The fisherman teaches them to cast from the pier, the ferryman shows them charts of the sea, and from the harbormaster, they learn to recognize birds. Several fun moments occur when the mayor takes part or doesn't! He does let them spin in his office chair! They grow up doing all sorts of things, including being read to by the librarian, of course. There are endearing things to learn as the story unfolds, and beautiful illustrations by Jeannette Bradley help tell this loving story. For instance, the librarian names the babies in alphabetical order, Agatha, Bram, Charles, and Dorothy. Their last name, of course, is Book! When problems arrive in the form of questions from other children about how they all look different, their mother, that wise librarian says all families don't look alike, and that's okay. It's a fairytale with a focus on inclusion and community.
Read
June 14, 2020This whimsical island story about four mysterious babies who show up on a small island and are taken in and raised by the town librarian is such a unique book. It's a tale that will capture the imagination and a powerful story about a community that steps up to raise children.
October 4, 2020
ONE OF THE BABIES IS NAMED AFTER DOROTHY L. SAYERS, GUYS.
3.5 stars rounded up
3.5 stars rounded up
March 5, 2022
Absolutely adorable!!
July 15, 2020
An unusual (multicultural) adoption story with beautiful pictures.
7/15/20 Read with Julia
7/15/20 Read with Julia
February 9, 2021
One day on a small island, four babies come from far away with only notes asking that they be kept safe. The island residents are perplexed, who will care for these children? The town librarian quickly makes room for them in her small apartment above the library and in her heart forever. They grow up together, loved by the librarian and cared for by the whole town as they share their lessons and skills.
The story is skillfully written and will appeal to lap time reading preschoolers through kindergarten. The digitally painted illustrations are charming and lovely to ponder over while noticing many small details that add such rich depth to the text. While this picture book is more fanciful in its approach, w is really about adoption. It offers a dreamy look at how families are not always the one we are born into and a truly inquisitive young reader will have a lot of questions when the story is done. So, adult readers with inquisitive children should be prepared for an honest conversation about babies and forever families after the reading is done.
I would recommend this book for purchase by public libraries.
This book was provided by the publisher for professional review by SWON Libraries.
The story is skillfully written and will appeal to lap time reading preschoolers through kindergarten. The digitally painted illustrations are charming and lovely to ponder over while noticing many small details that add such rich depth to the text. While this picture book is more fanciful in its approach, w is really about adoption. It offers a dreamy look at how families are not always the one we are born into and a truly inquisitive young reader will have a lot of questions when the story is done. So, adult readers with inquisitive children should be prepared for an honest conversation about babies and forever families after the reading is done.
I would recommend this book for purchase by public libraries.
This book was provided by the publisher for professional review by SWON Libraries.
August 27, 2020
The librarian on a tiny island adopts four foundlings.
One day four babies arrive in a tiny island community, bearing notes asking whomever finds them to care for them. When the prominent members of the community are at a loss and refuse, the island's librarian steps in. She names the babies in alphabetical order A, B, C, and D (Agatha, Bram, Charles, and Dorothy), gives them the surname Book, and then raises them in the library, aided by the initially reluctant community members.
"Families don't always look alike. And where we're going is more important than where we came from."
This story use a whimsical framework to discuss adoption and alternative family structures, stressing how it is love that makes a family. The Books' adopted mother also performs the delicate balancing act of not concealing any facts from her children while making sure that they are not trapped, traumatized, or derailed by their personal histories.
I liked that the librarian lived in an apartment above the library as if she were the owner of a small bookshop.
One day four babies arrive in a tiny island community, bearing notes asking whomever finds them to care for them. When the prominent members of the community are at a loss and refuse, the island's librarian steps in. She names the babies in alphabetical order A, B, C, and D (Agatha, Bram, Charles, and Dorothy), gives them the surname Book, and then raises them in the library, aided by the initially reluctant community members.
"Families don't always look alike. And where we're going is more important than where we came from."
This story use a whimsical framework to discuss adoption and alternative family structures, stressing how it is love that makes a family. The Books' adopted mother also performs the delicate balancing act of not concealing any facts from her children while making sure that they are not trapped, traumatized, or derailed by their personal histories.
I liked that the librarian lived in an apartment above the library as if she were the owner of a small bookshop.
August 3, 2019
What a beautiful book! It's a wonderful tale of acceptance and belonging. I was initially skeptical about the far-fetched premise, but this book is so well done that it completely won me over. The language is lovely and lyrical. The gorgeous art adds depth to the story as it brings the multi-cultural cast of characters to life. And I particularly appreciate that it's a love letter to librarians. This is a picture book masterpiece. Highly recommend for everyone!
(Review based on an advance reviewer copy.)
(Review based on an advance reviewer copy.)
March 31, 2020
What a darling story written by Christine McDonell. The goodness of people to take in all the babies that were abandoned and needed care in a time of dire need was endearing. What is better than to grow up in a library
The illustrations by Jeanette Bradley, and the story itself with it's fun names for the babies was something that my granddaughter cooed, clapped her hands and wanted to hold the little babies. So, this book was a big hit with the age group that it was written for.
The illustrations by Jeanette Bradley, and the story itself with it's fun names for the babies was something that my granddaughter cooed, clapped her hands and wanted to hold the little babies. So, this book was a big hit with the age group that it was written for.
August 15, 2025
I love this book. SO MUCH. I am not the target audience. I don't even have kids. But I'm obsessed. Babies, books, a cozy house above a library, and beautiful illustrations. I want to live on this island in the house above the library and raise babies named after authors.
February 9, 2021
When the Babies Came to Stay is a cute illustrated book for children. Four little babies are found on an island, one is brought by mail plane, two were on a ferry, and one was found on a pier sleeping on fishing nets. The librarian volunteers to care for the babies and she calls them the Book Babies. The babies live with the librarian above the library in a tiny apartment. She calls them A, B, C, and D and reads them stories. As the kids grow up they have many talents and interests. The kids at their school tease them for not knowing where they came from and being siblings who don't look alike. The librarian teaches them, "where we're going is more important than where we came from."
I loved this book. The illustrations are adorable and I think it's a great story about finding a place where we belong. I read this book to my little boys and they loved it too. I highly recommend this book.
I loved this book. The illustrations are adorable and I think it's a great story about finding a place where we belong. I read this book to my little boys and they loved it too. I highly recommend this book.
June 2, 2021
Sort of a backwards "Little Red Hen" in that the other islanders do help, though the main adult does do the majority of the work. And the reward is not bread but healthy and happy young citizens.
The main adult is a librarian because the book is a metaphorical fable. The island is a haven, just like a library. Reading helps us grow, just as food & shelter & love do.
I'm not sure the mayor needed to be mocked, but it was gentle, so ok.
I really don't like the page where the other children asked rude questions of the found family. They grew up with them, and would not have thought twice about how odd the Book children's origins are. The Book children would already know the answers anyway, too. I suppose the author wanted to include a lesson to us who encounter found families in our lives that these questions are indeed rude, but it jarred, and spoiled (for me) an otherwise absolutely lovely story.
The main adult is a librarian because the book is a metaphorical fable. The island is a haven, just like a library. Reading helps us grow, just as food & shelter & love do.
I'm not sure the mayor needed to be mocked, but it was gentle, so ok.
I really don't like the page where the other children asked rude questions of the found family. They grew up with them, and would not have thought twice about how odd the Book children's origins are. The Book children would already know the answers anyway, too. I suppose the author wanted to include a lesson to us who encounter found families in our lives that these questions are indeed rude, but it jarred, and spoiled (for me) an otherwise absolutely lovely story.
February 27, 2022
I went in search of this book after reading the author's newest picture book Sanctuary: Kip Tiernan and Rosie's Place, the Nation's First Shelter for Women. This book was delightful and has a similar theme of providing shelter for those in need but in a more playful and fictional story. I always enjoy a story of the librarian saving the day, but really, the whole island community pitches in here, too. This book makes me want to reread one of my favorite Patricia MacLachlan novellas, Baby about just one baby that gets left on an island with a note pinned to its clothes.
January 29, 2022
“A, B, C, D, and E were a set of Books. The library was where they lived, and the island was where they belonged.”
The babies arrived mysteriously on the island: one by plan, two by ferry and the final one found on the pier. Notes were attached asking the babies be well cared for, but the people on the island aren’t quite sure what to do. The mayor thinks they should be returned to the mainland, but the librarian feels the babies are meant to live on their island. The ferryman, the fisherman, the harbermaster and the mayor are all too busy to deal with the babies, so the librarian takes them all into her home. She names them alphabetically, in order of arrival: Agatha by air, Bram and Charles on the ferry, and Dorothy found at the pier. Their last name? Book, of course.
The little family thrives as the island becomes their home.
The babies arrived mysteriously on the island: one by plan, two by ferry and the final one found on the pier. Notes were attached asking the babies be well cared for, but the people on the island aren’t quite sure what to do. The mayor thinks they should be returned to the mainland, but the librarian feels the babies are meant to live on their island. The ferryman, the fisherman, the harbermaster and the mayor are all too busy to deal with the babies, so the librarian takes them all into her home. She names them alphabetically, in order of arrival: Agatha by air, Bram and Charles on the ferry, and Dorothy found at the pier. Their last name? Book, of course.
The little family thrives as the island becomes their home.
August 2, 2020
The youngest sets’ version of “The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry.” Sweet illustrations of four babies (each abandoned with “please care for my sweet one” -style notes attached) and their adoptive mother, growing up together in idyllic small-island life.
The “Not it!” response of several important islanders when determining who could care for the infants seems too distasteful in a child’s picture book. It’s also absolutely more realistic than the next step: a single librarian taking in all four children. Still, their callousness along with the original fact the babies were left to fate by their parents means I didn’t feel a full five stars. My littlest still loved the book; the pictures are beautiful!
The “Not it!” response of several important islanders when determining who could care for the infants seems too distasteful in a child’s picture book. It’s also absolutely more realistic than the next step: a single librarian taking in all four children. Still, their callousness along with the original fact the babies were left to fate by their parents means I didn’t feel a full five stars. My littlest still loved the book; the pictures are beautiful!
March 18, 2021
This story is so strange. Four babies end up being found in a small island community all at once, and the people of the island adopt them as their own. But that central mystery is never explained. I can't tell if it was in there as a parable for something, or just as a strange idea for a book, like "hey, what would happen if a bunch of babies just SHOWED UP"
Cute, bookish and community based story about growing up and found/chosen family and being yourself. My 3.5 year old seems to really enjoy it and is not too preoccupied with where the babies came from and why. Then there's me being like "WHAT IS HAPPENING ON THE MAINLAND?" like what is the economic/social situation over there driving this one time blitz of baby dumping?
Cute, bookish and community based story about growing up and found/chosen family and being yourself. My 3.5 year old seems to really enjoy it and is not too preoccupied with where the babies came from and why. Then there's me being like "WHAT IS HAPPENING ON THE MAINLAND?" like what is the economic/social situation over there driving this one time blitz of baby dumping?
March 23, 2022
In this sweet story, four babies mysteriously arrive on an island by mail boat with no identification. There are notes pinned to the babies asking that someone protect and care for them.
The librarian takes them home, names them, and raises them with the help of the whole community.
Children who read or hear this tale may not ask, but I was wondering the whole time about the attempts that would have been made to locate the birth parents of these children. Some reviewers have called it a fairy tale. While there are realistic elements, the mystery of the babies' origins and apparent lack of effort to find out make it a fantasy.
The librarian takes them home, names them, and raises them with the help of the whole community.
Children who read or hear this tale may not ask, but I was wondering the whole time about the attempts that would have been made to locate the birth parents of these children. Some reviewers have called it a fairy tale. While there are realistic elements, the mystery of the babies' origins and apparent lack of effort to find out make it a fantasy.
March 30, 2020
Four babies arrive on the island, each with a note urging someone to take care of them. Where did they come from? No one knows. But the librarian takes them to her home (above the library, of course), and a new family is created. The people of the island all help raise the babies, and the babies know nothing but love and happiness. With beautiful prose and gorgeous illustrations, this story shows the true meaning of family.
March 11, 2020
This book is funny, heartwarming, and delightfully quirky. When four babies show up on an island with no explanation for how they got there, the town librarian raises them like her own. But they also belong to the island, as a harbormaster, ferryman, fisherman, and mayor all have a hand in taking care of them. Proving it takes a village to raise a child. Or in this case, an island.
March 30, 2020
Why are they here? Who sent them? Where are they from? The Island community were surprised to find these babies, arriving from air and sea and mail, but with the help of a wise and caring librarian, quickly resolve to care for them. Told with love and humor, with delightfully whimsical illustrations, this warm and cozy tale of acceptance and love will enchant every child and their carers!
November 21, 2020
Maybe it's the fact that it is the town librarian who saves the day and raises the babies that this one made me cry, or maybe it's the messages that - "Where we are going is more important than where we came from" and "Families don't always look alike." Maybe it's just the sweet baby faces illustrated that got me. Who is to tell?
December 9, 2020
I ordered a few adoption books from the library to read to my boys last month. I loved the illustrations and parts of this book (I appreciated the librarian being open to the children about how they came & seeing "it takes a village/island to raise the children"), but it did start off in an odd way (in my opinion).
August 24, 2021
A cute story about 4 babies that arrived on an island one day. The local librarian takes them in and names them after famous authors and their last name is "book". The rest of the village helps raise the children, each island member teaching them something unique. Of course, the librarian teaches them to read.
Cute, but a bit trite.
Cute, but a bit trite.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews