Description
Making a Baby is a book by Rachel Greener and illustrated by Clare Owen.
This book answers the "Where did I come from?" question no matter who the reader is and how their life began. From all different kinds of conception through pregnancy to the birth itself, this candid and cozy guide is just right for the first conversations that parents will have with their children about how babies are made.
In this honest, accessible illustrated guide to how babies are made, young readers can find out exactly what is needed to grow a baby, from introducing the basic building blocks of life such as sperm and eggs, to explaining the different ways that these building blocks can be put together to create a family.
Working closely with a leading national LGBT organization, this inclusive guide to Making a Baby covers sex, sperm and egg donation, IUI, IVF, surrogacy and adoption, as well as explaining how a baby grows in the womb and about different kinds of births.
Written in gentle and accessible language that can be shared with younger children or read alone by confident readers, we hope this book and its clear illustrations will provide the stepping stone for every parent to have an open conversation with their child about how babies are made, and their family began.
Making A Baby. by Rachel Greener. Illustrated by Clare Owen. Hardcover. 32 pages.
A 2022 NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books List Selection
"This babymaking primer takes a decidedly inclusive approach to the topic, steering clear of rigidly gendered language and featuring a wide range of family members and configurations. Using a muted color palette, Owen's cleanly rendered art has a retro aesthetic and includes people of different races, genders, shapes, and abilities—happy-looking families all . . . An authentic and honest celebration of babies, families, and diversity." —Horn Book
"A book that really tells it like it is, from the sex act to birth, without shying away from topics such as male, female, and intersex genders, egg and sperm donations, and C-sections, this should be available in all public and school libraries." —School Library Journal
Rachel Greener is a children's books editor from London who has edited fiction, nonfiction and picture books about everything from the ancient Egyptians and ocean plastics to teenage detectives and zombie goldfish. She wrote this book because she thinks it is important that all children have a chance to see their family story reflected in a book about where babies come from.
Clare Owen graduated from art school in 2009 and has been working as a freelance illustrator ever since. She works on a big variety of fun projects, creating pictures and patterns for home products, stationery, picture books, magazines, and packaging--all influenced by her love of color, nature, and mid-century design. Originally from Cornwall, she now lives in Bristol with her boyfriend and two cats.