Happy Birth Day! - Hardcover

Harris, Robie H.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1564024245 ISBN 13: 9781564024244

Publisher: Candlewick, 1996

Synopsis

A perfect gift for baby showers! Great for new big brother and sisters!

"Suddenly there you were—a whole new person, our baby! We saw all of you from head to toe and we loved you the moment we saw you."

A baby is born. From the first moments of life, she is able to breathe, to open her eyes, and to gaze at her mother's face. Soon she will nurse, suck her thumb, and sleep. In HAPPY BIRTH DAY!, Robie H. Harris tells a loving story to children about the amazing day when they were born. With a text as tender as a newborn's cheek, she tells them how loud they cried, that they could see light, hear sounds, and even sneeze. But most of all, with Michael Emberly's extraordinary illustrations—each one carefully observed and deeply moving—HAPPY BIRTH DAY! shows children how much they were loved right from the start.

About this title

About the Author:

Robie H. Harris says, "This is a story my children asked me to tell them over and over again when they were young. I think they loved hearing about all the things they could do on the day they were born."

Michael Emberley attended two births to prepare his illustrations for HAPPY BIRTH DAY! "It was amazing," he says. "A whole life without experiencing or witnessing a birth would seem incomplete to me now."

From Booklist:

Ages 3^-7. Young children love to look at photographs of babies, especially pictures of themselves when they were little. They marvel at their tiny toes and fingers, squinty red faces, wrinkly feet, and dainty pink nails. In a seamless blending of text and artwork, this picture book goes a session with a photo album one better, catching close up the miracle of a newborn baby and the sweet joy and physicality of its first day in the world. Harris' affectionate first-person text, focusing on one young couple welcoming a newborn, is very personal: "I'll never forget the moment you were born. . . . You let out a loud cry--about as loud as a coyote howling at the moon." Yet it is full of the universal wonder of new life and the quiet drama of family bonding. Emberley's paintings are spectacular. Large, realistic, and softly colored, they literally glow as they catch the tender moments: the baby girl naked, eyes barely open, umbilical cord still attached; squalling, fingers clutching; at mother's breast; in father's arms; peacefully asleep encircled by Mom and Dad. The book will be a hugely appealing library item, with potential for small-group use as well as lap sharing. An interview with Harris, on page 1495, lends further insight into the making of this touching book, which speaks with joy and wonder to young children and their parents. Stephanie Zvirin

About this edition

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 1564024245
• ISBN 13: 9781564024244
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Emberley Michael