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Summary
Summary
In a perfect gift for new and expectant parents (and siblings), a gentle story pays tribute to the wonder and emotion of a family's first quiet days with a newborn.
The house is hushed. The lights are low.
We're basking in a newborn glow.
Inside the cozy house, a baby has arrived! The world is eager to meet the newcomer, but there will be time enough for that later. Right now, the family is on its babymoon: cocooning, connecting, learning, and muddling through each new concern. While the term "babymoon" is often used to refer to a parents' getaway before the birth of a child, it was originally coined by midwives to describe days like these: at home with a newborn, with the world held at bay and the wonder of a new family constellation unfolding. Paired with warm and winsome illustrations by Juana Martinez-Neal, Hayley Barrett's lyrical ode to these tender first days will resonate with new families everywhere.
Author Notes
Hayley Barrett says that fond memories of her own days spent nesting and cocooning with her husband and each of their newborns inspired her to write Babymoon. She lives in eastern Massachusetts.
Juana Martinez-Neal is the Peruvian-born daughter and granddaughter of painters. Her debut as an author-illustrator, Alma and How She Got Her Name , was awarded a Caldecott Honor and was published in Spanish as Alma y cómo obtuvo su nombre . She also illustrated La Princesa and the Pea by Susan Middleton Elya, for which she won a Pura Belpré Illustrator Award, Babymoon by Hayley Barrett, Swashby and the Sea by Beth Ferry, and Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard, which won a Robert F. Sibert Medal. Juana Martinez-Neal lives in Connecticut with her family. Visit her online at www.juanamartinezneal.com.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Baby-Toddler-Arresting yet cozy illustrations and a spare, poetic text work together in this lovely book that will work well as a baby read-aloud, even if its content may speak more to the parent than the child. A loving couple bring home their new baby and spend their first day(s) together reveling in their love and their new life as they get to know each other. The lyrical text works perfectly in rhyme and meter to create a soothing image of the newness of a first-time family experience. The gentle cadence invites reading aloud at bedtime or in a storytime, but the real draw here are Martinez-Neal's illustrations. They are done in acrylic, colored pencil, and graphite and have a glowing softness to them. The mom is all rounded edges, with medium brown skin and lushly flowing dark hair. Dad and baby have a slightly lighter complexion and are equally appealing. The backgrounds are spare, keeping the focus on the family and their facial expressions, which glow with love. Each parent gets a page to themselves with baby, the mom's spread depicting her gazing lovingly down at her nursing infant. The book draws the viewer into this cozy world of newness and love. While the text is likely to speak more to the parents than the children, the flowing language will work well to soothe both baby and parent. VERDICT A great gift for new parents, this would make a lovely addition to any library's baby storytime shelves.-Amy Lilien-Harper, Wilton Library, CT © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
During their "babymoon," two new parents learn the rhythms of caring for their newborn. The moments shared between the family members are tender, joyful, and sometimes anxious: "Here together. So much to learn./ We muddle through each new concern./ We're reassuring, building trust-/ believing that we'll soon adjust." A scruffy dog and cat gaze on the new arrival with subdued interest as the human pair comforts, bathes, and changes the infant. The child's mother and father are rendered as comforting yet vulnerable figures with rounded bodies and enclosing arms; the child sports dark hair and wears hues of yellow. A graceful celebration of the uncertainty and delight of new parenthood. Ages 2-5. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Two new parents spend the first days after baby's arrival on their "babymoon."The opening spread draws the eye from the verso, on which is pictured a rickety home with interesting details, to the tone-setting lines of text on the recto: "The house is hushed. The lights are low. / We're basking in a newborn glow." Rhyming couplets spur the page turns, celebrating various aspects of life with a tender newborn. On "a sweet, secluded afternoon," the lighter-skinned father lies sleeping with the swaddled baby. The brown-skinned mother, framed by long, puffy hair, washes baby, with "Soothing water and warm embrace / of tentative and awkward grace." Then they are "reassuring, building trust" in a beautiful breastfeeding scene. Martinez-Neal's distinctive illustrations feature soft, hazy lines that convey a dreamlike quality. The muted colors of the clothing and surroundings, along with the ample use of white space, let the family's skin tones shine with a reddish glow that can be interpreted as a blush of happiness. More an encouragement to new parents to savor the moment than a book for babies, this heartfelt offering successfully captures the feelings one wants to remember about this precious time (and leaves out the not-so-pleasant moments). Expect this lovely gift for new parents to live by the rocking chair, helping families discover their own "babymoons." (Picture book. 6 mos.-3, adult) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Intimate and full of wonder, this book celebrates the babymoon experience, which is the adjustment and bonding period between parents and a newborn. It calls out the tentative and awkward (getting used to a new name, the unsureness of baby's first sponge bath), focuses on the moments of rare rest (a daytime nap with dad; a slow, rocking walk in matching hats with mom), and highlights the tenderness and gentleness on display by an uncertain and lovestruck new father and mother, be it the curl of a tiny hand around a finger, or an infant's downy head resting on a sturdy chest. Parents and children alike will be thrilled to recognize their experiences on the page as represented by this stunning biracial couple. Barrett's lyrical poetry is enchanting, and Martinez-Neal's (Alma and How She Got Her Name, 2018) artwork is as soft, round, and delicate as a newborn. Her representation of each precious moment is a croon-worthy, dimpled, tiny-fisted pleasure, and a close-up illustration of the yawning baby captures the book's tone so beautifully it's worthy of framing. A guaranteed home run read-aloud to share at baby story time, this book is also a perfect gift for expecting friends and an ideal addition for home and public libraries.--Becca Worthington Copyright 2019 Booklist
