The Horn Book Guide

TECHNOLOGY

Douglas, Ann

Before You Were Born: The Inside Story

32 pp. | Owl | December, 2000 | Trade ISBN 1-894379-01-2 $$18.95 | Paper ISBN 1-894379-02-0 $$6.95

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes. Photographs by Gilbert Duclos. The second-person narration involves readers in the wonders of pregnancy and birth which are explained briefly in fourteen double-page spreads. Some topics are quirky (what an unborn baby hears), some more practical (a doctor's visit), but all answer questions children commonly ask. Sidebars give additional facts or activities. Color photos combine with cartoon illustrations of uneven quality to extend the text.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges