The Adventures of Princess Mommy: A Fairy Tale for Single Mothers and Their Children
written and illustrated by Ali Sherwin
Language: English
Montclair, NJ: 13th Moon, c2009.
30 p. : col. ill. ; 22 x 28 cm.
ISBN: 9780981955910
My annotation: This is a personal fairy tale written by the “Princess Mommy” for her child. She relates the story of how she looked very hard to find the right prince in order to make a baby with. After she meets several colorful characters who do not measure up to her expectations for fatherhood, she finally decides to go to a “Wise Woman” to obtain a “magic seed” that can be placed inside of her "egg" in order to make a baby. The Wise Woman directs her to a tree with so many magic seeds she is at first overwhelmed, but she picks ten and brings them home to her family who help her pick just the right one to make a baby with. In the end she gets her desired child and tells her child that she “was much happier than she would have been if she had married one of those Frog Princes, because those guys weren’t good enough for Mommy and they weren’t good enough for you.” This book about choosing single motherhood via sperm donation is a personal story that might not work for your family story as it is very specific to this mother’s own experiences of trying to find her Prince. However, this book takes a family-building approach and employs the “labor of love” script. Full-color illustrations are hand-drawn by the author. Recommended for children ages 3-5.
Available: http://13thmoon.net/html/mommy.html
The Baby Kangaroo Treasure Hunt, a gay parenting story
written by Carmen Martínez Jover
illustrated by Rosemary Martínez.
Language: English
[Mexico] : Carmen Martínez Jover, ©2009.
16 pp.
ISBN: 6070008464; 9786070008467
$17.00
Summary: A sweet children's story of how two kangaroos: Jack and Sam, a gay couple, have their own baby by means of an egg donor and surrogacy. Using kangaroos in the story enables children to easily understand the methods related to their conception in a simple and loving way.
Available: http://www.carmenmartinezjover.com/librocanguro.html
Available: http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Kangaroo-Treasure-parenting-story/dp/6070008464/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338465488&sr=1-1
Bayje's Story: An IVF Tale for Little People
by Tanisha Danyette Brandon
Language: English
Baltimore, Md. : Publishamerica Inc, 2010.
1 v. (unpaged) : col. ill. ; 22 cm.
ISBN: 1448970024; 9781448970025
Summary: Some babies grow in their mommy's hearts; some grow in their mommy's stomachs. This is the story of a baby that grew in both. Told in easy to understand language, this true tale describes the journey of an IVF baby from conception to birth. With real photographs, IVF toddlers everywhere will delight in sharing Bayje's story, and hopefully better understand their own. Great for a night time story or just cuddle time.
Available: http://www.publishamerica.net/product36500.html
Les bébés naissent dans les épuisettes
texte de Pascale Tonin
illus. by Hector
Language: French
Summary: A little boy explains his assisted conception to his friend.
Full text available online: http://sd-2.archive-host.com/membres/up/199489827563849191/bebepuisette.pdf
Graine de bébé: mais par où passent les bébés?
texte de Thierry Lenain
illus. by Serge Bloch
Language: French
Paris : Nathan : VUEF , DL2009
1 vol. (non paginé [32 p.]) ill. en coul. 24 cm
ISBN: 2092110381, 9782092110386
Summary: Ce livre fait l’inventaire plutôt réaliste des questions que se posent certains enfants très tôt. Il y apporte des réponses précises et techniques, y compris sur la fécondation in vitro et l’accouchement par césarienne, avec des mots simples.
Zoé, bébé : autre mode d'emploi
Sylvie Tiné-Brisseau
Language: French
Ed. Association de compétences, 2000
Le mystère des graines à bébé
by Serge Tisseron
illus. by Aurélie Guillerey.
Language: French
Paris : A. Michel jeunesse, DL 2008
1 vol. (non paginé [40] p.) : ill. en coul., couv. ill. en coul. ; 19 x 24 cm.
ISBN: 9782226180131; 2226180133
Summary: Petit Paul vient de découvrir comment on fait les bébés. Mais ses parents lui disent : " petit Paul chéri, pour toi ça ne s'est pas passé comme ça. On ne sait pas comment te l'expliquer... ". heureusement, ses amis la chouette, l'éléphant, le lézard et le pingouin lui dévoilent le mystère des techniques médicales qui aident les parents à avoir de beaux bébés. Un album indispensable pour que chaque enfant puisse connaître l'histoire de sa naissance. Et que ses parents - une maman et un papa ou deux mamans, ou deux papas...- trouvent les mots pour lui raconter simplement l'amour, la conception, la procréation médicalement assistée.
My annotation: Little Paul’s teacher has just taught the students how babies are made the natural way and little Paul goes home to tell his parents what he has learned. But mom and dad seem a little troubled. “For you it did not happen that way,” his parents tell him. “We did not know how to explain it to you,” they continue. So Little Paul sets out determined to find all the ways babies can be made. He goes to a series of animal friends, who explain fertilization, in vitro fertilization, donor assistance, adoption, and embryo donation. About donor assistance, Little Paul asks if it is possible to know the donor and his animal friend tells him that in some countries you can know and in other countries you can’t. Little Paul then asks about the doctor. “Does he know? “Yes,” says his friend, to which Little Paul replies: “Why would the doctor have the right to know where I come from, and not me?” His animal friend also tells him that some parents are afraid to tell their child because they are afraid the child will love them less. “What a strange idea! I hope that if I was born like that, my dad and my mom would have told me right away!” says Little Paul. In the end we do not know how Paul was conceived but when he goes home, his parents sit him down and tell him all about it. The book includes a helpful glossary at the end for words like, anonymous donor, embryo, fertilization, IVF, gametes, and assisted reproductive technology. The book takes a child-conception approach and employs the “helper” and “nut & bolts” scripts. Recommended for children ages 5-8 and available only in French.
Available: http://www.amazon.fr/Le-myst%C3%A8re-graines-%C3%A0-b%C3%A9b%C3%A9/dp/2226180133/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353808168&sr=8-1
A dream come true : talking to your child about assisted reproduction
Christo Zouves, M.D ; with Linda Attell and Holly Bea
illustrated by Sarah Fox.
Language: English
Daly City, CA. : Zouves Fertility Center, 2004.
27 p. : col. ill. ; 22 x 26 cm.
ISBN: 0976473801; 9780976473800
My Annotation: Written by a reproductive endocrinologist, this book aims to explain the basics of human reproduction as well as assisted reproduction when and why there might be a need for it. It introduces children to some very big words like “intracytoplasmic sperm injection” and “sperm chromatin structure assay,” as well as the more common terms found in children’s books on ART, like in vitro fertilization, egg donation, sperm donation, and surrogacy. Unlike other children’s books on ART, this book is narrated by several children who were all conceived in different ways. There is Michael, a twin, conceived via IVF. There is PJ, conceived via egg donation. There is Sophie, brought into the world via surrogacy. And there are Katie and Mei Lin, both conceived via IUI and donor insemination, Katie to a heterosexual couple, and Mei Lin to a lesbian couple. In these vignettes, all the children explain the reasons where and why that particular ART method was used to conceive them, for example, Michael’s mom’s eggs “couldn’t travel through her tubes” and his dad’s sperm “couldn’t swim to the egg” so mom’s eggs and dad’s sperm were put in a petri dish where they could join together to form an embryo. The book includes a glossary though it does not include the term IUI even though it is introduced in the book. The last few pages are devoted to spaces for family photos, the names of the doctors who helped bring them into the world, the names of the helpers, and a picture of the ultrasound, clearly acknowledging all the work that went into bringing them into the world and to “shift their focus from making a family to being a family.” Cartoon drawings resembling children’s drawings depict no nudity. Recommended for children ages 5-8.
Available: http://www.goivf.com
Constantin et L'Invitro
[author: Lia Singh] ; [ill.: Alain Longet].
Language: French
Lausanne : LEP, Loisirs et pédagogie, cop. 2000.
[48] S. : Ill. ; 17 cm.
ISBN: 2606008448; 9782606008444
From the PR leaflet: 'An 8 years old girl ... tells her [mother] "I, too, will get injections in order to have a baby".
More information: http://www.women.it/cyberarchive/files/bryld.htm
The journey of the stars who conceived a new Baby: Pink Star
Produced by New Shining Stars LLC
Language: English
New Shining Stars LLC, 2010
ISBN: 0984477004; 9780984477005
All 7 for $56.00
Reading level: Ages 6-12
Summary: A male and female reproductive egg cells, portrayed as Blue and as a Pink Stars respectively, had to overcome many obstacles along their journey to the Fertile Grounds to: unite, fertilize, implant and finally conceive a new human baby.
other books in the series:
Blue Stars
Tiny, the blue star
The battle for Pink Star
Fertilization & Implantation
The Rose & the Fetus
The Unborn Baby
Available: http://journeyofthestars.webs.com/
