Before You Were Born

by Jennifer Davis, Laura Cornell (Illustrator)

It's the mystery of mysteries for soon-to-be older what's going on inside a pregnant mother's belly? BEFORE YOU WERE BORN, a joyful lift-the-flap book for children, that tells the parallel story of mother and baby during the nine months of pregnancy. Illustrated with full-color whimsy by Laura Cornell, whose delightful work is familiar to readers of Jamie Lee Curtis's Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born and When I Was Little, BEFORE YOU WERE BORN is a month-by-month countdown written in rhyming verse. Each page shows what's happening to the mother on the outside and then, under the flap, in the mother's belly to the baby on the inside. Children learn how Mommy is feeling and how the baby is developing, about hiccups, kicks, and umbilical cords, a first heartbeat, and the contractions that mark the beginning of labor. For expectant mothers and curious little kids, and especially for kids with siblings on the way, it is an interactive storybook that delivers delight and information and reassurance, too.

Genres: Parenting, Childrens, Picture Books, Fiction

36 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1998

About the author

Jennifer Davis, a mother of four, wrote Before You Were Born to answer the questions her older kids asked while she was pregnant. She lives in Beaufort, South Carolina.

Reviews

[McKenzie Creagan]

When I was a child, I loved reading this book because it was interesting and different than most of the other picture books that I had around the house. I think that this would be a perfect book for parents to read to children that are expecting more siblings. It describes the process of being pregnant, what the baby does inside your body and the different sizes that the baby is along the way. I think that Jennifer Davis created this book in such an interesting way because the examples she gives are funny but also very realistic. On each page, there is a flap and when you flip it up, it shows what the baby is doing inside the belly during that month. This book can be a very useful tool to talk about pregnancy, without providing to many details and graphic images.
Books like this provide a visual representation of the pregnancy process without getting into the details that wouldn't make sense to young children.

[Vanessa Peavy]

I LOVE this book. The book has such a nice flow making it very easy to read and is very enjoyable. What child wouldn't like this, because my children sure did. They laughed the whole book through! Reading this book in the classroom, may step on some on toes, however, this is a great read and great for lessons. If able I would use this book to teach development and reproduction of both humans and animals.

[Tricia]

ilustrations and text in book were informative and enjoyable. only complaint is that the book goes in reverse (9 months to go...8 months to go) when I thought it may be better understood by children and enjoyed by me if it was phrased "during the first month...during the 2nd month" for clearer understanding.

[Amanda]

This was especially great since we read it on my son's birthday, all together as a family in his bed, after a day of parties and fun. I'm hoping to read it more to him so he'll get a sense of what it'll be like when baby comes as well. After reading it, I wished I'd found it to buy and give as a birthday present. Will try to keep it in mind for that in the future...

[Huda Fel]

The author's daughter found it so hard to believe , that her baby brother was born naked!!
That's what made the auther think of writing such a book
I loved it... and RIGHT, the more they know, the smoother the ride(;

THANX DR!!!

[Mobley-Carter Victoria]

This lift-the-flap book holds twenty-four, numbered pages. The statements rhyme.

The main characters in the story are pregnant mommy and developing baby. This story is informative.

The problem is that children don't know what was happening before they were born, especially on their birthdays, and they are interested in how they changed, developed, and grew while inside of mommy.

The solution is that Davis humorously and euphorically explains the transformation that a person goes through from zygote to fetus to newborn. Every two pages the baby progresses in development.

[Chanin]

LOVED this one, as did the soon-to-be big sisters & brothers. I used for each of them when I was expecting & then again on each of their birthdays so they could know how much I looked forward to their births.

[Jazlyn Padilla]

it was nasty and good

[Kendra]

I read this book to my three kids as I am pregnant with #4. My older two kids who are seven and five years old are asking a lot of questions about what is going on inside my tummy. So when I found this book, I was really excited to see if it helped them with some of their own questions. Also to prepare my youngest for his new sibling to make her appearance. I really liked how they talked about all the things Mommy is going through the pregnancy but also what is taking place inside mommy. It helped my kids realize why I am so tired all the time or forget things. The illustrations in this book are amazing and really bring the book to life. I recommend checking this book out.

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[Bailee Morillo]

This was definitely a precious book. It was not very climactic, but it was good in a more subtle way. I loved the way it showed how much the mother cared abut her child and made note of how she grew and changed.

[Amanda]

Very cute! A fun little book with humerous explanations of where and how Baby lives before he is born.

[Angie]

you shouldn't read this bookit is STRANGE!!!

[Katie]

A neat pop-up, but a little advanced for toddler/preschoolers

[Kit]

I thought T would love a lift and flap book about pregnancy, but this book just isn't a good match with our beliefs about pregnancy and baby care.

[Aimee]

I read this book to my son. He loved it. Wanted me to read it over and over again. I would recommend to any mom/parent when trying to explain pregnancy or a new baby coming.

[Katie]

We read this to our older son when I was pregnant - we all loved it! The story is great and so are the illustrations.

[Sharon]

Good information for new moms to share with the new sibs....