She Is Born

Offers young readers of all ages a look at the different types of celebrations and events held across the world when a daughter is born into the family.

Grade 9 Up-This beautifully crafted and stately picture book embraces diversity through an exploration of how birth is celebrated across various cultures. The writing is reverent and poetic. Rather than use an excess of prose to express cultural differences, specific customs by which a baby girl is welcomed into the world are listed, e.g., "She will be bundled in a/bark cloth blanket/knitted bunting/kaross cape/and hugged into belonging." The concept then expands to encompass the possibilities inherent in a girl's birth: her hands will "make maize into meal between metates./Her feet will/kick soccer balls to victory-/Her head will harbor/math facts/ mythology/memories." The book does a fine job of establishing a sense of commonality among all women. The drawings are of photographic quality. They are both soothing and startling and provide a larger-than-life view of reality. Notes explain the cultures represented. While young readers will respond to the illustrations, the text will confuse or at best wash over them as a disjointed list of events and sophisticated verbal images. Adults will best appreciate this empowering vision of the universal nature of birth.
Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MI
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In stately, rhythmic cadences, with words set down in several fonts accompanied by hyperrealistic images, Kroll and Rowe make a mighty song of welcome to newly born girls: "She is born, born, BORN! . . . and Earth will never be the same." She'll be "hugged into belonging" or welcomed with pink balloons; she'll be given special gifts, such as a dream catcher; and she'll grow strong on cornbread or rice cakes. The images match the many cultures touched on in the text; there's even an alphabetical list of women's names--from Alena to Zawadi. Kroll's notes explain all the references, but even without them the reverent tone of welcome is still sweet and clear. Use this with Carol Gandd Shough's tender All the Mamas (1998) and with Jennie Overend's earthy, gorgeous Welcome with Love for a story time that will fill very young listeners with the sacred sound of their own existence. GraceAnne A. DeCandido
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