Hello Baby Book

We are loving Hello Baby by Jenni Overend. Perfect for any child who is going through an interested in babies phase, which is why we ended up reading it.  It would also be useful for anybody wanting to prepare their child for the arrival of a new sibling, or baby in the family, particularly if there is going to be a home birth involved.

It's a storybook, and the story is told from a child's perspective about the preparation and birth of a new baby at home. During the course of the story and illustrations it opens up the possibility for a whole host of questions to arise and discuss. Be prepared that it does contain pictures of birth with the babies head appearing, and the placenta, but we found it was done in a very natural way, although some may find it too much. It also contains co sleeping and indirectly breastfeeding. The only down side, from a practical viewpoint is it's set in a cabin in the woods, so doesn't seem related to a homebirth in a "normal" home, although that seemed to bother me more than my daughter.

Overall a lovely, sensitive, natural book which sparked off lots of questions particularly about the process of giving birth, placentas and umbilical cords. It's a book that different ages will get different information and enjoyment out of. As it's a picture book it could be read with young ones of 2 or 3 years old, and it would also be useful and of interest to those aged up to about 5 or 6 depending on the child. After that they may find it a little too cutesy but it obviously depends on the child.