Before You

A picture book celebrating the ways any new addition to a family brings joyful chaos and makes everyday experiences that much sweeter, warmer, better!

Before you, there was a bath, a book, and a comfy bed.
Then you came and now the bath is sudsier, the book is sillier, and the bed is bouncier!

When a new child is introduced into a household—whether they are being fostered, adopted or being welcomed as a newborn—there is always a “before” and an “after.” Before they arrived, there was a cozy chair, a yummy meal, a frisky cat, a wiggly dog, and a jazzy song.

After they arrived? Well, it only gets better—the chair is cozier, the meal is yummier, the cat is friskier, the dog is wigglier, and the song is jazzier!

But the goldfish? It stays exactly the same.

This irresistible picture book celebrates all the small but impactful ways life changes when someone new joins a family.

Anne Sawan is a writer, reader, parent, and psychologist. She enjoys spending time with her large family and their numerous pets, including two dogs, three cats, several chickens, and some fish. Before You was inspired by her experience of having five children and seeing how her once quiet, average life was transformed into a world full of energy and love. She lives in Medford, MA. Karen Obuhanych is an author-illustrator living on the Big Island of Hawaii. She wrote and illustrated This Little Kitty and This Little Kitty in the Garden and has illustrated several books for young readers including Annie’s Cat is Sad by Heather Smith, and The Fastest Tortoise in Town by Howard Calvert. Before having her daughter, Obuhanych loved surfing, dining out, and spending hours in her art studio. Then her daughter came, and now the house is messier, the mornings are busier, and her heart is fuller.