Hattie Peck
written and illus. by Emma Levey
Language: English
New York : Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., 2016. ©2015.
27 unnumbered pages : color illustrations ; 27 cm.
ISBN: 9781634501705 1634501705
Summary: All Hattie the hen wanted was an egg of her own, so one day she left her cosy coop to go on an adventure to find all the abandoned eggs in the world.
Subject headings:
- Chickens -- Juvenile fiction
- Eggs -- Juvenile fiction
- Adoption -- Juvenile fiction
- Adventure stories
- Humorous stories
- Animals -- Farm animals -- Juvenile fiction
Available: http://www.amazon.com/Hattie-Peck-Emma-Levey/dp/1782444785
Hope & Will have a baby: the gift of sperm donation
by Iréné Celcer
illus. by Horacio Gatto
Language: English
Niskayuna, N.Y. : Graphite, ©2006.
1 v. (unpaged) : col. ill. ; 21 x 26 cm.
ISBN: 9780975581032; 0975581031
My annotation: Matthew loves to hear his “family’s special fairy tale.” It is the story of what his parents went through in order to bring him into the world. It begins with a brief introduction to human reproduction, not the sex part, but how babies grow in uteruses and start out as embryos. After many months of trying to have a baby, Hope and Will, Matthew’s mom and dad, visit a doctor who eventually tells them “that they were not going to be able to make a baby together.” This is heartbreaking news. Although the book does not explain the nature of the couple’s infertility, the doctor tells them they can however try donor insemination, at this point introducing children to the term “sperm donor.” The book also introduces children to other big words like “sonogram,” “uterus,” “embryo,” and “sperm” in addition to the term "donor." In addition to the big words, the book also introduces children to big concepts like patience and sadness and shows how painful, frustrating, and difficult the process of trying to have a baby can be, as well as the depression that can set in when trying so hard is not working. In the end though, Matthew’s parents “were very proud of each other and their sperm donor. And “thanks to their combined efforts and his kindness” they became a family. The book takes a child-conception and a family-building approach and employs the “nuts & bolts,” "the helper," and the "labor of love" scripts. The full-color illustrations are appealing and professionally rendered. Recommended for children ages 5-8.
Library of Congress Subject Headings:
- Infertility -- Fictional works
- Fertilization in Vitro -- Fictional works
- Infertility -- Fiction
Available: http://graphitepress.com/bookstore/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=31
Author's Web site: http://www.hopeandwill.com/pages/main/synopsis.php
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
Pupujuttu ja muita vauvasatuja
by Outi Hovatta
illus. by Maija Ranta
Language: Finnish
Helsinki : Väestöliitto, ©1993.
35 p. : col. ill. ; 25 cm.
ISBN: 9529605005; 9789529605002
Summary: Pupujutun avulla vanhemmat voivat kertoa lapsille siitä, mistä vauvat tulevat. Asiahan kiinnostaa jo useampia alle kouluikäisiä ja alaluokkalaisia.
Eläinmaailmaan sijoitetut tarinat kertovat perinteisellä tavalla alkunsa saaneen lapsen syntymästä ja vaihtoehtoisilla tavoilla saaduista lapsista. Sadut lapsettomuushoitojen avulla alkunsa saaneista vauvoista, ottolapsista ja lapsettomista aikuisista avartavat lapsen maailmankuvaa ja auttavat häntä hyväksymään erilaisuutta.
Lapsettomuushoitojen avulla lapsensa saaneista vanhemmista useat ovat sitä mieltä, että lapsen on hyvä tietää syntytapansa. Tällainen avoimuus vähentää salattujen asioiden määrää perheissä. Perheet voivat käyttää vauvasatuja itse sopivasti muunnellen apuna lapsen syntytavan kertomisessa.
Available: http://www.vaestoliitto.fi/nettikauppa/lapsettomuus/?num=187839&upotusURI=/nettikauppa/lapsettomuus/&x198550=Select/Card
Heather has two mommies
by Lesléa Newman
illus. by Diana Souza
Language: English
Boston, Mass. : Alyson Wonderland, ©1989.
[36] p. : ill. ; 28 cm.
ISBN: 155583180X; 9781555831806
My annotation: First published in 1989 and now out of print, this was the first book published in the United States for children that not only introduced a lesbian family but also introduced the concept of artificial insemination. Although the book mentions artificial insemination, as well as the words “womb,” “sperm,” “egg,” and “vagina,” it does not go into any further explanation about why artificial insemination would be needed in order to make a baby. Nor does it go into any explanation about what artificial insemination is. “Kate and Jane went to see a special doctor together. After the doctor examined Jane to make sure that she was healthy, she put some sperm into Jane’s vagina. The sperm swam up into Jane’s womb. If there was an egg waiting there, the sperm and the egg would meet and the baby would start to grow.” Because of public challenges to this part of the book, not to mention the depiction of a lesbian family, the 10th and 20th anniversary editions of the book did away with the pages devoted to Mama Jane’s undergoing of artificial insemination and in an email with the author, even in these times with even more same-sex households with children, there is no intention to return those pages of the book to subsequent editions. This book takes a family-building approach because it shows that Mama Jane and Mama Kate wanted to build a family, and employs the “all families are made differently” script when Heather goes to play group and meets children who come from all different sorts of families. Heather turns out not to be the only child with same-sex parents. There are black and white drawings and the book is recommended for children ages 3-5. This edition of the book would only be available from bookstores which specialize in out of print books.
What makes a baby
by Cory Silverberg
illustrated by Fiona Smyth
Language: English
New York : Seven Stories Press, ©2012, 2013.
1 v. (unpaged) : col. ill. ; 24 cm.
ISBN: 9781609804855; 1609804856
Annotation: The cover of this book states that this is “a book for every kind of family and every kind of kid” and it truly is. In the most general of ways, this book begins with the sperm and the egg but in a brilliant turn asserts what has not been asserted before in a children’s book, that some bodies have sperm, and some do not, and that some bodies have eggs, and others do not. This is so undeniable and obvious that one wonders why this hasn’t been stated in quite this same way before in a children’s book on human reproduction. While other books proclaim simply that sperm come from males and eggs come from females, this book admits that this is not always the case, again, without positively stating so. Think trans individuals for example. After introducing children to the terms sperm, egg, and uterus, Silverberg, a sexuality educator, asks, “Who helped bring together the sperm and the egg that made you?” Here the book clearly veers away from all other children’s books on reproduction by implying that not every sperm and egg come from a mommy and a daddy. In fact, the words mommy and daddy are completely absent from the book, conveying to children that not all families are made up of mommies and daddies. Although there are many other children’s books on assisted conception that state the same thing, this is one book that can be used for children conceived both with and without assisted technology. In fact it would be very useful in families where each sibling could possibly have been conceived in a different way. It provides absolutely no details about how the egg and sperm come together, whether through heterosexual intercourse or assisted conception, so the book clearly leaves the area wide open for parents to fill in these details, anticipating that the child will have lots of questions about how the sperm and egg get together in the first place in order to make babies. The rather sparse text is counterbalanced by the vibrant and vivid illustrations which convey a tremendous amount of information not specifically stated in the book, for the book’s aim is clearly to delineate the barest of facts about reproduction and leave the rest for the inevitable extended discussions and explanations that develop from a close reading between parent and child. For example, Silverberg writes, “Inside the egg are so many stories all about the body the egg came from.” Smyth’s illustrations then depict the inside of an egg with an open book, movie film, puppets, and a family tree. The egg is a very busy place! The same is done for the sperm with a look inside depicting family photos, a double helix, and another opened book. The book ends beautifully with the question, “Who was waiting for you to be born?” aptly letting children know that they are here because someone wanted them to be here. The brightly colored cartoon illustrations depict genderless bodies and no nudity. Recommended for children ages 3-5 and also 5-8. This is a book that children will want to go back to again and again with a parent as a reading partner to answer their evolving questions. This book comes with a highly recommended reader’s guide which can be downloaded from http://www.what-makes-a-baby.com/readers-guide/.
Available: http://catalog.sevenstories.com/products/what-makes-a-baby
Interview with the author: http://whereisyourline.org/2011/08/badass-activist-friday-presents-cory-silverberg/
A very special baby (for donor conceived children)
by Amanda MacLeod
illustrated by Sam Taylor
Language: English
[Napier, N.Z. : A. MacLeod, 2010]
1 v. (unpaged) : col. ill. ; 21 cm.
ISBN: 9780473178062; 0473178060
$95.00 for the set of 5
Summary: Simple introductory stories for young children who are born with the help of egg, sperm and embryo donation.
Other books in the series:
- egg donation
- sperm donation
- embryo donation
- sperm donation to a single woman
- sperm donation to a same sex couple
Available: http://www.dreambaby.co.nz
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
$14.97
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Review: Each book in this series presents a different conception story. Written by a nurse, this is the story of a baby bear who loves to hear the story of how he was born. Though mommy and daddy bear had trouble having him, they were finally able to have him with the help of a “nice man called a donor.” Excellent illustrations. High-quality paper.
others in the series:
Before You Were Born…..Our Wish for a Baby: The Story Of An IVF Baby
Before You Were Born…..Our Wish for a Baby: The Story Of A Frozen Embryo
Before You Were Born…..Our Wish for a Baby: The Story Of Donor Insemination
Before You Were Born…..Our Wish for a Baby: The Story Of A Donor Egg
Before You Were Born…..Our Wish for a Baby: The Story Of Donor Sperm (IVF)
Before You Were Born…..Our Wish for a Baby: The Story Of A Gestational Carrier
Before You Were Born…..Our Wish for a Baby: The Story Of Surrogacy
Before You Were Born…..Our Wish for a Baby: The Story Of A Donor Embryo
Before You Were Born…..Our Wish for a Baby: A Baby Conceived For Female Partners
Before You Were Born…..Our Wish for a Baby: A Baby Conceived For Male Partners
Available: http://xyandme.com/
PZ7.C313 Gif 2006
Hope and Will have a baby
by Iré́né Celcer
illustrations by Horacio Gatto
Language: English
Niskayuna, N.Y. : Graphite, ©2006.
1 v. (unpaged) : col. ill. ; 21 x 26 cm.
ISBN: 0975581031; 9780975581032
$19.95
Reading level: Ages 2-5
Summary: Hope and Will fall in love, get married, and try very hard to have a baby before their doctor tells them that they need special baby-making seed from a sperm donor before Hope can become pregnant.
Major Book Review: School Library Journal
others in the series:
Hope & Will Have a Baby: The Gift of Egg Donation, ISBN 9780975581018 (0975581015)
Hope & Will Have a Baby: The Gift of Embryo Donation, ISBN 9780975581025 (0975581023)
Hope & Will Have a Baby: The Gift of Sperm Donation, ISBN 9780975581032 (0975581031)
Hope & Will Have a Baby: The Gift of Surrogacy, ISBN 9780975581049 (097558104X)
Available: http://www.hopeandwill.net/pages/main/synopsis.php
HQ53. S3 1988
How babies and families are made : (there is more than one way!)
by Patricia Schaffer
illustrated by Suzanne Corbett
Language: English
Berkeley, Calif. : Tabor Sarah Books, ©1988.
52 p. : ill. ; 26 cm.
ISBN: 0935079173; 9780935079173
$7.95
Recommended for ages: 8-12
Review: This is the first sex book ever published for children that mentions artificial insemination. This book includes a description of how babies are conceived naturally as well as how they are made in the cases of IVF, donor sperm, and adoption. The book also discusses pregnancy, miscarriage, fetal death, labor, types of delivery, prematurity, and disabilities. The author also discusses kinship in families and terminology for birth parents, step-parents, half-siblings, adopted parents, and biological parents. Language is straightforward and there are drawings in black and white with nudity, body parts, and a couple hugging in bed to represent sexual intercourse. Book could be updated to include donor egg, embryo, and surrogacy.
Annotation: The author writes in her preface that she “tried to make all children feel included in the pages of this book,” (including disabled and adopted children), earlier stating that to teach children that all children are conceived via sexual intercourse is “simply untrue.” The book begins with the story of Rachel and Michael, two friends who are alike in many ways, different in others, but both want to know how babies are born. With anatomical drawings labeling all reproductive parts of a woman’s and a man’s body, the book begins by describing what each part does, beginning with how the parts fit together during sexual intercourse. This is how Michael’s parents made him. The book then goes on to explain that not all babies are conceived in this way. Rachel, for example, was conceived via artificial insemination because her father could not make sperm. This book, published in 1988, explains that artificial insemination can also be used by women who do not want to make a baby with a man, thus making this a groundbreaking book being that it was the first non-fiction book published in the United States that hints at single mothers and lesbians who can also resort to artificial insemination in order to have children. Although not necessarily outdated, with so many books on assisted conception published since this one (and this one only covers one method), there are now many more to choose from. As its title states, this is also a book about how families are made and includes the subjects of divorce, death, and remarriage thereby also introducing children to the concepts of step-siblings and half-siblings. Because this is a short book, all these subjects can’t possibly be treated in more than a cursory way, therefore other books on human reproduction, blended families, and disability are recommended. Realistic black and white illustrations depict nudity and lovemaking. Although recommended for children ages 8-12, given the amount of text on each page, children may already be familiar with some of the concepts introduced in this book by the time they get to this one.
Available: http://leeanne.com/taborsarah/
Available: http://www.abebooks.com/book-search/isbn/9780935079173/
306.874
HQ761 .S36 1995
Let me explain : a story about donor insemination
by Jane T. Schnitter
illustrated by Joanne Bowring
Language: English
Indianapolis, Ind. : Perspectives Press, ©1995.
32 p. : ill. ; 27 cm.
ISBN: 0944934129; 9780944934128
My annotation: Written for older children, this book explains the concept of donor insemination. The story is narrated by a fictional little girl who herself was conceived this way. The book begins with her talking about all the great things she does with her dad and that she loves about her dad and adds, “My mom says my dad and I are two of a kind except for one thing. We don’t look anything alike. And I know why. It’s because we don’t have the same genes.” The little girl then goes on to explain what genes are and where they come from introducing the words sperm and ova and what happens when the sperm and ova get together. “Everybody in the whole world starts out that way...But I don’t have any genes from my dad because I didn’t come from his sperm.” The book asks and answers a series of questions any child might have at this point, from "Whose sperm did I come from?" to “Will I ever meet the donor?” to "Does all this make me different?" to which the book answers, "NO! It doesn't make me any different or any more special than anyone else in the world." This book is quite a gentle description of both donor insemination as well as the love between a father and his child, regardless of how that child got here. “What the whole thing comes down to is this...The sperm came from someone else, but once that wonderful baby started to grow, (Me! Remember?), there was only one dad. My dad. The dad who liked to put his hand on Mom’s tummy and feel me kick. The dad who watched me first sit up, bled when I tried out my first tooth on him, and always caught me when I fell. He still does. After all, he's my dad." The book takes a child-conception approach and employs “the helper” script. There are two tone illustrations and the book is recommended for children ages 8-12. Although this book is out of print and the publisher is no longer in existence, it is still available in bookstores specializing in used and out of print books.
Available: http://www.abebooks.com/book-search/isbn/9780944934128/
Why don't I have a daddy? : a story of donor conception
by George Anne Clay
illustrated by Lisa Krebs
Language: English
Bloomington, Ind. : Author House, 2008.
[28] p. : col. ill. ; 22 x 22 cm.
ISBN: 142599587X; 9781425995874
My annotation: Written by a mother whose desire it was to help her son understand his origins, this story begins when a lion cub notices the many different families around him on the African plain: zebra families, elephant families, and monkey families. He also notices that they all have two adults in their families, a mommy and a daddy. When he asks his mom why he doesn’t have a daddy, she begins to explain how a “kind and generous” “donor lion” gave some of his “special seed” so that she could have a cub of her own. After hearing the story of his conception, the little lion asks his mother, “Mama, what am I supposed to say when other cubs ask about my daddy?” To which she replies that it may be hard for other cubs to understand why he doesn’t have a daddy if they themselves have a daddy who they love, but that he could simply say that his family just consists of him and his mama. When he gets older, she adds, he might want to tell his friends if they ask, that his father is a sperm donor. This book introduces children to the concept of sperm donation as something simple you go to the doctor for, but also uses the term “father” to describe the donor who gave his sperm, as opposed to a “daddy” who is a part of the family. It’s possible the term “biological father” might have been more accurate, but as with many of these books written by mothers, these are the personal stories that they wish to tell their children, using their own vocabulary, and in their own way. Because the mama lion consistently refers to their twosome as a family, this book takes a family-building approach and employs “the helper” and the "labor of love" scripts. It also includes an insightful “note to the Grown-Ups…” written by a licensed clinical professional counselor at the end. There are full color illustrations and the book is recommended for children ages 3-5.
Available: http://bookstore.authorhouse.com/Products/SKU-000574312/Why-Dont-I-Have-A-Daddy.aspx
