Baby Belly

Before you ask, yes, this is deliberately without text – I wasn't completely sure until I read the publisher's notes, for the e-file I saw came with no covers, title pages etc. So what I did get was just a very few pages, but pages that completely successfully showed a young child curious about that bulge that seems to be growing in the middle of his mother's body all of a sudden. Yes, the textless format is both a great way to get this seen across multiple international markets, and a conscious decision to let the book user, clearly intended to be about the age of the child in question, empathise with the character they're seeing and fill in their own gaps. And thus the child learns nothing about the birds and bees, but does manage to see the growth of his sibling, even if the how and why are left for more mature reads. I can't say I'm in a position to test this with a toddler, but this certainly seems like it would work. The artwork is certainly of a good design, and the circular nature of the story satisfying to all.

This short, wordless picture book for the youngest children is absolutely delicious.  With delicate illustrations reminiscent of those by Helen Oxenbury, young readers watch as a young child observes his mother's expanding girth due to pregnancy.  The child tries to figure out what is happening.  He even tries to replicate the look with a balloon.  When the baby is born, he observes that his mom's back to her usual shape.

This book is so very cute and can open the door to discussion on this life event.  I give this one five stars.  Adults will like it too!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this read in exchange for an honest review.

Cute wordless picture book for littles whose moms are expecting a baby! older brother, in the case of this story, wonders what's in his mommy's tummy; could it be a balloon? Mom's baby bump grows through the story, only to disappear once the baby makes it's appearance! And, of course, the toddler and baby up a bit to be best buds! I love the illustrations. Would make a nice gift to child who's going to have a new baby in their home soon!
Could have been a bit longer, but now bad!

Review to be posted in January 2020 on blog/goodreads.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I just fell in love with this cover. Why was this boy putting a balloon under his shirt? I didn't even read the blurb until after I requested it, and that answered my question. I was happy I requested it and couldn't wait to get accepted and read it. And here we are!

This is a wordless picture book about a little boy and his pregnant mom. Who in the first pages of the book is still thin, but then we see her belly get bigger and bigger and you can see the interest of the little boy start to grow. Because it is of course quite strange to see your mum with an expanding belly. What is up with that? Why is it getting bigger? What is in it? What will happen?

We see the boy experimenting with the balloon (as per cover though without the toys around him, I guess those were added to this illustration), but also worry a bit about the upcoming sibling. But after that things start to get cuter and sweeter as he is now a big brother. I just had so much fun seeing him with his sibling.

I do love that this book is without words, while I do miss them a bit because I am so used to books having words, I feel it makes the whole book even more fun as you can make up endless stories of your own, maybe even instead of a story let the kid tell you what they see and what they think is being told. Even as I was looking at this book stories popped in my mind that matched with this book. It really opens up to imagination.

The art is just the best, I so so love the style of it. It is very cute and adorable. I love how expressive it is, which is what you need if you want to make a picture book without words.

All in all, I would definitely recommend this cute book to all, I think it would be a treat for kids about to have a sibling in their life.

Absolutely adorable! The coming of a new sibling is explored in this wordless picture book. Perfect for the little ones about to become an older brother or sister.