Boardwalk Babies

by Marissa Moss, April Chu (Illustrator)

In the late 19th century, there wasn't much hope for premature babies―until Dr. Couney developed the incubator. The device was so new and strange, hospitals rejected it. So Dr. Couney set up a sideshow at Coney Island, taking care of the tiniest newborns as part of a display to convince the public that incubators worked. Thousands of babies grew into healthy children as Boardwalk Babies, including Dr. Couney's own premature daughter. Many of those babies came back as adults to thank the doctor for his miracle cures. Science meets magic show in this fascinating true story.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, History, Biography, Science, Childrens, Historical

40 pages, Hardcover

First published March 2, 2021

About the author

Marissa Moss has written more than seventy books, from picture books to middle-grade and young adult novels. Best known for the Amelia's Notebook series, her books are popular with teachers and children alike. Her picture book Barbed Wire Baseball won the California Book Award gold medal. Moss is also the founder of Creston Books, an independent children's publishing house.

Reviews

[Abby Johnson]

This is a fascinating nonfiction picture book about the beginnings of incubators and a German doctor who saved literally thousands of premature babies.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: "Step right up and see the tiny babies! Babies so small, you could hold them in one hand! Don't pass the babies by!" Crowds followed the carnival barker to where he pointed, beyond Lionel the Lion-Faced man, Francis the Four-legged Woman, and the Sword Swallowers. Inside the brick building, the room didn't look like a side show at all. Nurses in crisp white uniforms took care of the tiniest babies imaginable, kept warm and snug in glass boxes hung from the walls.

Premise/plot: Boardwalk Babies is a nonfiction picture book. It showcases the work of Dr. Couney and his development of the incubator. When hospitals were skeptical and/or disinterested in using incubators to save premature/underweight babies, he decided to step up and save them himself. He had a "sideshow" display of babies set up at Coney Island which ran for quite a few decades! (I believe the sideshow ended in the mid-1940s when hospitals had more widely adopted incubators.) Dr. Couney married a nurse who worked at the show AND his daughter was born prematurely. An incubator saved their daughter's life! It isn't any wonder that she grew up to be a nurse too.

My thoughts: I loved, loved, loved, LOVED this book. I thought it was all kinds of awesome. I had never thought about WHO invented incubators before I read this book. I hadn't really taken the time to stop and consider what a miraculous difference it could make. Medicine and science has certainly changed through the centuries. This book mainly spans the mid 1890s to the mid 1940s. If you are looking for a GREAT story--a true story--packed with facts, then this one might just be worth your time.

I read it several times in one day. I *made* my mom read it as well. It is such a great book.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 5 out of 5]

This nonfiction picture book shares the story of the man who saved thousands of premature babies with newly designed incubators, funding the babies' medical care with a carnival sideshow when hospitals weren't interested in the new devices. I first learned about this inspiring true story in a viral Facebook post, and this book is wonderful. The text is clear, informative, and moving, and the art conveys the time period and each persons' emotions. Even though the cover art is imaginatively silly, the book itself is serious, historically accurate, and very touching.

I cried pretty much all the way through this, and would definitely recommend it. This would be great for adults, and for children who are old enough for the amount of text and for the sensitive subject of babies fighting for their lives. This would be especially meaningful to families whose histories include premature birth, but it is a profoundly moving story for anyone. This man's devotion to caring for premature babies in the face of the medical establishment's indifference is incredibly inspiring, and the story is long enough to incorporate lots of personal details related to this, while also being short enough for its target audience. Absolute perfection.

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Truth is stranger than fiction in this story about a real doctor who saved the lives of premature babies for over 40 years as part of a carnival sideshow since the medical community did not take him nor his baby incubators and heat lamps seriously. Profits from the slideshow paid for the cost of the babies care..

[Stephanie Bange · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, Moss shares the origin story of something that has affected so many lives.

A carnival barker grabs the attention of everyone nearby with his call "Step right up and see the tiny babies....so small, you could hold them in one hand!..." The curious came in droves to see the preemie babies on display in incubators at the 1901 Pan American Exposition, and later as a sideshow in 1903 at Coney Island - which financed this project. At a time there was little/no hope of survival for premature babies, Dr. Martin Couney brought forward the idea of using an incubator for them, helping six thousand five hundred babies - including his own daughter - who grew to adulthood because of him.

Moss deftly tells Couney's story, from the origin of the idea of incubators through his immigration to the U.S. and saving the lives of so many preemies. She personalizes it ever step of the way - from Couney taking on patients, through his method of financing and publicizing this innovation, and the accolades and admiration he received from the grown children he helped to survive into adulthood. She shows the wide range of diversity of children affected.

Amy Chu's illustrations have a retro, yet "modern" feel about them, which is appropriate as that is what the people of the time considered themselves. The emotions of Couney holding the tiny infant brought in by the farmer are palpable. The pairing of talents - Moss and Chu - is perfect for this quiet, lovely story (well, except for the carnival barker on the first page!).

Great to use in STEM unit on inventions and medical innovations around the turn of the 20th century.

Highly Recommended for PreK-grade 3.

[Marsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical events can present themselves in very odd places. While tales about babies can be expected in the children’s section, it’s still a shock to read about preemies—babies born so tiny the doctors didn’t know how to take care of them. So they didn’t.

One man’s vision, determination and grit led him to develop a radical machine to save these babies and, like P.T. Barnum, he soon realized displaying his empty sterile machines to an indifferent crowd wasn’t going to work. The sideshow nature of Dr. Couney’s unique solution to drawing the public attention is emphasized in the book’s endpapers, which feature all sorts of bizarre looking human beings.

Part doctor, part showman, this is a story about a German doctor educated in France and traveling the world to bring his vision and aid to those far too small to help themselves. It’s like any story of American gumption: the certainty you can do good in this world coupled with the stubbornness never to give up even in the face of disdain, indifference, skepticism or doubt. If you make money doing it (and he certainly did), that’s even better.

Thanks to Dr. Couney’s invention, loads of babies who would have died in infancy lived to have wholesome healthy lives. In spite of the seriousness of its content, children might be interested in learning about someone who saved babies. If not, this is a slice of American history that might pique the attention of the curious parent.

[John Mullarkey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took this right off the new nonfiction picture book shelf being intrigued by the title/cover - was it a Barnum-like promotion trying to make quick-money back in the sideshow days? No - not really as all! I was surprised to learn about something that I knew nothing about and found it fascinating! This is the story of the origin and use of incubators to assist in the development of undersized/premature babies and how an ingenious doctor brought awareness to the public and raised money to acquire further research and use of incubators. In the late 19th Century, Dr. Martin Couney saved over 6500 premature babies (including his own!) by setting up a parlor on the the Coney Island Boardwalk and charged customer s to come in and see the "tiny babies"- all awhile using the profits to purchase incubators for hospitals and to raise awareness of their effectiveness. It's a story that is both inspiring and interesting and it's all true! Young readers might be amazed that such a common hospital device was once a rarity. It is a heroic tale of medicine and a pioneer who dedicated his life to saving babies that otherwise may not have had much of a chance of survival. The illustrations or bold and colorful - harking back to long-ago boardwalk colors. It is both a great read aloud and a book to use as a narrative nonfiction assignment for all ages.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing children’s nonfiction book that covers the journey Dr. Couney took in the late 19th century through the 1940s to try to get the use of incubators approved by the medical community to care for premature babies. The doctor gave shows and put the babies “on display” for more than 50 years to get all premature babies’ medical care completely covered and to convince the medical communities in the U.S. and Europe that alternate card was needed for babies born prematurely. I thought it was amazing how this doctor stuck with it and that most of the babies survived. This is a picturebook, but it is definitely higher level reading for maybe 2nd-4th graders depending on how advanced they are. I think it would be interesting reading for school or for parents to read with their children as well.

[Margaret Boling · Rating 5 out of 5]

7/9/2022 ~ Fascinating picture book biography(ish) about Dr. Martin Couney & his attempts to have incubators for premature babies accepted by the medical establishment. When he couldn't convince hospitals to use these early incubators (1890s), he set up in World's Fairs/Expos and on Coney Island and ran the incubators as sideshows, showing off the tiny babies, but providing excellent care for free, no matter the family's circumstance.

Over the course of about 40 years, his "sideshow" hospital had a survival rate of 81% and they saved over 6500 babies (who were born at 1-2 pounds) who were otherwise written off by the medical staff at hospitals.

I have to admit, the cover of this book really put me off, and I sat down thinking I'd just skim it. However, by the 4th or 5th page, I was hooked! I can't wait to share this book with the kids who do research on inventors/inventions.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an interesting story of Dr. Couney, a man who was convinced incubators could save premature babies, but couldn't convince the medical industry. To do that, he started a boardwalk show at Coney Island with premature babies (and incubators) on display. The admission fees allowed him to cover the costs for this so that parents didn't have to pay anything, and eventually (after 40 years!) this convinced hospitals to use incubators as technology. He saved thousands of babies this way. It's strange to think of babies on display in this way, and the lessons of ingenuity, and the fact that it's an interesting story with great art (and a really eye-catching cover), will make this of interest to so many kids.

[Rcltigger · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fascinating true story! In the 19th century, hospitals considered premature newborns doomed to die. However, a dcotor in Paris had an idea based upon seeing baby chicks in incubators and sent a young doctor that studied with him to the Berlin Exposition of 1896 to showcase his An exhibit of inubators was set up but Dr. Martin Courney couldn't get people very interested in them until he came upon the idea of having actual premature babies in them to showcase how well they prospered under his care. It was a big hit! But the medical community was very slow to accept this new idea of care so The Child Hatchery was born and saved thousands of babies in its time, including Dr. Courney's own daughter. Highly recommended.

[Mrs. Mazzola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book about a less well-known aspect of American medical history - the development and use of incubators for premature babies. I like that the illustrations give the old-timey feel of the time period. I think it presents the information in a story that is easy to understand and uplifting - he saved more than 6,000 babies! It would have benefitted from fuller back matter, and the end papers are problematic (images of "werid people" that are used in the same side show / freak show way that they were exploited with in real life), but overall is a great literary nonfiction that I will be adding to my collection.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

While cover illustrations might make you think this is the beginning of another Tele-tubbies type series, this book tells about the true story of Dr. Couney, who invented the infant incubator. When hospitals declined any interest in his machines, he took them to the Coney Island Boardwalk and showed the world what they could do and he saved thousands of babies who might not have made it with only traditional hospital methods at the time. Wonderful story, and the illustrations keep up the interest.

[Andrea Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful nonfiction book! This is fantastic! I picked it up because I was intrigued by the cover and lo and behold I found a fascinating piece of history I knew nothing about. This is told in a very accessible manner so it would be suitable for most ages, but give to those who love science and weird facts, adults who are always curious (especially about medicine and history). Two thumbs up!

[Reshamad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review is part of Cybils Awards

This is a lovely picture book biography of Dr Couney , the inventor and creator of the first incubation device for premature babies. Beautifully illustrated and simply told, this non fiction picture book tells the story of how Dr Couney came about the idea, market it and see it save thousands of babies in his lifetime.

An absolute must read!

[Angie Counsell · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you can get passed the horrific beginning of the book, where they are looking at babies as if they are side show attractions, then this is a good and informative book. The first couple pages are horrific in what you think they are doing with the children. This is a different take on the background of incubators and their uses in the hospitals and a very unique approach to presenting the information. Interesting book.

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incubators and NICUs are so commonplace now that it's hard to imagine a time when "hospitals considered premature babies doomed to die." This informational biography of pioneering physician Martin Couney--who spent 40 years nurturing premature infants in a Coney Island exhibit, just to prove the worth of incubators to the medical field--turns the clock back to the late 19th century and describes how that attitude changed, thanks to Couney's dedication.

Really interesting and well-told.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful picture book about the thousands of babies saved in sideshow incubators. Interesting subject matter that had the whole family fascinated. The doctors decades-long struggle to prove the efficiency of incubators in inspiring. A great subject told in a way even young children can understand. Also includes more information at the back. A great addition to any library.

[Chrissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely and adorable illustrations in the style of vintage boardwalk posters illustrate a story I have never heard before. The text brings to life the story of a doctor determined to save babies, and balances the simplicity required for young readers with the information needed to clearly describe the subject. Very good.

[emyrose8 · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5- Wow. The only thing that would make this better is a real photo of Dr. Couney and his premature babies. It's insane to think that this man saved 6,500 babies with his 'sideshow' doctor's office. Not to mention the care he gave them was FREE because of the admission price spectators paid to look at them. Such a smart, determined, talented man who never gave up. I love this story so much.

[Molly Arms · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bluestem 2025 - Book 5/20

Another picture book for the 3rd-5th grade reading list but I guess nonfiction tends to skew that way.

This book is crazy and I'm now going to be sat on google for the next hour reading about babies being a sideshow attraction because the medical community has always been insane. The book itself is a pretty dry read but a good jumping off point into new research.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has to be one of the strangest picture books I've read. It has a fascinating subject which I was totally ignorant about-the fact that premature babies were displayed on Coney Island for 40 years to improve their chances and draw attention to the new "gimmick," incubators. Fascinating, and heartwarming. The "freak show" illustrations don't sit well with me but I guess they lend authenticity.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The true story of Dr. Martin Couney who developed the incubator to save premature babies. He had several babies in incubators on display at Coney Island as he tried to get his invention accepted by the medical community. In the process, he saved thousands of premature babies. This is a fascinating story that should be more widely known.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great picture book biography of Dr. Couney who exhibited babies on the Boardwalk in their incubators which were not standard medical machinery yet. He funded the care of the premature babies with admissions fees for decades. Elementary and up

[Jenny Reibenspies · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a well written and illustrated book on how one Dr. saved babies through an unconventional means of promoting life saving technology and providing care for most in need. Fascinating story that warms the heart.

[Nessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great book with lovely illustations about tiny babies! In 1901, the first baby incubator was created by a doctor named Dr. Couney. This books follows the history of how this one man got hospitals interested in created their own incubators for premature babies.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

The incredible story of Dr. Martin Couney who developed the first incubator and then promoted it in exhibitions and sideshows, even on Coney Island, to sell the idea to hospitals.

Includes an author's note with additional information as well as a short bibliography.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr Martin Couney becomes a carnival barker to show the public how incubators might save premature babies. He then moved the operation to Coney Island, where entrance fees paid for the care of the infants.
Fascinating history! This story deserves to be more widely known.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a NICU grad, I say thank you to the doctor who made incubators popular and got them into hospitals via Coney Island Sideshows. Fantastic book looking at the story of a doctor who saved the lives of thousands of preemies.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating children's biography of Dr. Couney, and his invention of incubators used for premature babies. When hospitals refused to put the incubators to use, Courney set up shop on the Coney Island boardwalk among other sideshow attractions. Year after year, he and his wife brought underweight babies from the brink of death, including their own daughter!

A 2025 Bluestem Award (Illinois) nominee.