Before you were born : our wish for a baby

618.178
RG134 .G75 2004
Before you were born : our wish for a baby
by Janice Grimes
illustrations by Mary Moye-Rowley
Language: English
Webster, Iowa : X, Y, and Me, ©2004.
1 v. (unpaged) : col. ill. ; 22 cm.
ISBN: 0975502883; 9780975502884
My annotation: “Please tell me the story of your wish for a baby,” the little bear boy asks his father at the beginning of the book. This is not the first time he has heard the story but he absolutely loves to hear how much his parents wanted him. When his parents wish for a baby did not come true at first, they go to the hospital to see a “special doctor,” who tells them that Daddy does not have the “special cell” needed to make a baby. There was however, a “nice man” called a "donor" who was willing to give one of his special cells. When the time was right, the special cells were placed inside Mommy and a baby started to grow and “That baby was you! Before we could see you, before we could touch you, we knew that we loved you.” This is a simple and tender story that conveys to a child just how much they were wished for and wanted. It is unusual in that it is the father telling the story and not the mother, as nearly all of the other children’s books about ART are narrated by a female voice. This is one in a series of stories written by a registered nurse who works in an IVF clinic. It takes a family-building approach and a child-conception approach and employs the “spare parts,” the “labor of love,” and “the helper” scripts. Very cute illustrations, professionally rendered, depict a father and son bear family, but the mother is not present. The book does not introduce children to the words, “sperm” and “egg” but it does introduce the word “donor.” Recommended for children ages 3-5.
Library of Congress Subject Headings:

• Artificial insemination, Human -- Juvenile literature
• Artificial insemination, Human

Available: http://www.xyandme.com/XYMe-Books.htm