When you were born

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

With poetic language and magnificent, deeply moving paintings, this beautiful book preserves the sense of awe inspired when a baby is born.

When you were born
you came quietly,
and with eyes deep as an ocean
you looked at me . . .

A new baby is born -- and as family, friends, and neighbors gather to share the joy, they emerge changed. Their world is redefined as they take a moment to remember the past, imagine the future, and marvel at the tiny miracle before them. In poetry as soothing as a lullaby, Dianna Hutts Aston evokes the sense of reverence that surrounds a newborn like enfolding arms. And in radiant, Chagall-like paintings, unlike any he's published before, Coretta Scott King Award­winning artist E. B. Lewis captures a feeling of wonder that will resonate with anyone who has gazed into the eyes of a newborn child.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

With breathtaking paintings and a lilting, poetic text, Aston and Lewis present a book that sparkles with the beauty and grace of the subject it celebrates a newborn child. Each stanza repeats the phrase, "When you were born," as the child's mother offers first her own impressions ("you came quietly,/ and with eyes deep as an ocean/ you looked at me") and then describes the reactions of others. Lewis's (Talkin' About Bessie) exquisite illustrations evoke a sense of movement and feeling, as if each onlooker were enveloping the baby in a blanket of love. Like the artists to whom (according to the book jacket) he wishes to pay homage, Lewis's figures echo the colors and shapes of Chagall, Matisse, Redon and Giotto without being derivative. The sophistication of the art may appeal more to parents, but younger children will respond to other elements: bright flowers burst upon the page, houses and trees hang in space, and the arms of rounded figures edged in medieval gold reach to the sky. Aston gradually widens the child's circle from family to community to the world. She grounds complex sentiments in particulars: the grandmother sits "among the pink snapdragons/ in the garden" singing "the lullaby she had sung to me," and the world "hum[s]/ its everyday tune/ of footsteps and voices,/ engines and bells,/ but here/ in our home,/ our souls/ sang with joy." The book incorporates several religious references ("I knew/ you were a gift/ from God," etc.), but these phrases do not draw attention to themselves. A reassuring and heart-warming reminder that each newborn is a rare gift to be treasured. Ages 3-up. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 1-The tone is warm and sentimental as a mother recalls the birth of her child and the joy felt by the infant's father, grandparents, uncle, and even the wondering acceptance of the curious dog that, after sniffing the newcomer, assumes his role as guardian. Outside the family circle, neighbors gather as well to welcome the new baby. Full-page, evocative paintings in watercolor and markers express the love, joy, and deep reverence conveyed in the poetic text. The slightly abstract figures are rendered in gracefully curving lines and highlighted with touches of gold. Different colors and textures are imaginatively combined to create eye-catching images that are sophisticated yet childlike. Perfect for one-on-one sharing, this lovely book has a universality that gives it broad appeal.-Sally R. Dow, Ossining Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

PreS. The moment of bonding with a newborn is the subject of this poignant picture book. Mother speaks to Baby about the unforgettable first moment of holding her in her arms. Then she describes the father's embrace, the grandmother's, the grandfather's, the uncle's--each one depicted on its own double-page spread. The family dog makes an appearance, as do neighborhood mothers and kids. Angels are watching. Aston's simple poetry captures the joy and wonder of birth and the physical detail of the infant's fragility and strength (kissing your downy head . . . your curled fists ). Lewis' full-page watercolor-and-marker paintings, worlds away from his usual realism, are exuberantly impressionistic in style, reminiscent of Matisse and the magic realism of Chagall. In strong shades of red, blue, and purple, the art captures the spiritual wonder as well as the joyful embrace. Give this to parents and siblings to read to the baby they love. --Hazel Rochman Copyright 2004 Booklist

Horn Book Review

+When you were born... / I knew / you were a gift / from God / and that I would love you / forever.+ Using familiar but rhapsodic language, a mother describes her own and then various loved ones+ reactions to her baby+s birth. The images are original, but, with their almost featureless human faces and murky colors, they may not appeal to a child audience. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

Kirkus Book Review

Welcome-baby books make for joy when not squashed by gooey sentimentality, and this one works. While Aston's prose poem is occasionally lush, it's also beautiful as she ties the newborn to the circle of family: "When you were born / your grandmother . . . sang to you / the lullaby she had sung to me." "[Y]our uncle--my baby brother all grown up--took you in his hands . . . and he whispered, 'A baby is so small!' " Daddy, grandfather, neighborhood mothers, and children, even the dog, greet the new child, filling the house with food and planting a magnolia tree that will grow with the baby. Lewis's illustrations pay homage to his favorite artists: Chagall, Matisse, Redon, and Giotto. Watercolor and marker with touches of gold make these wonderful paintings, each framed opposite a page of text. The line is nervous and vivid, the shapes fully formed geometry that seem to float in space, the colors strong but with dreamlike patterns and edges. Even the endpapers of blue with gold stars echo a cloak with which Giotto clothed the Madonna. Sure to have a huge audience. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.