Module 1: You Were Loved Before You Were Born, by Eve Bunting

Summary: You Were Loved Before You Were Born describes the preparations of a family anticipating the arrival of a new baby. The story is narrated as if a parent is speaking to the child, telling the story of each family member’s contributions in anticipation of the child’s entrance to the home. The family prepares the baby’s room, makes toys, and sorts hand-me-downs as they get ready to welcome the new baby.

Reference: Bunting, E. & Barbour, K (Illustrator). (2008). You Were Loved Before You Were Born. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Impressions: The prose of this story is simple and rhythmic, which would make it a good book to read aloud to very young children. The review below indicates that this book is intended for younger grade school kids, but I actually think it'ts more appropriate for even younger children, perhaps in the three to five-year old range. I didn't really enjoy the text of this book. Even for young children, I think it wouldn't be particularly interesting; it's not funny, and there's no real story line or narrative. As I said, I could see a parent reading it to a small child in their lap to put them to sleep, but the story isn't that engaging. The illustrations, on the other hand, are beautifully done. Karen Barbour's vibrantly colored woodcuts would, I think, be visually appealing to kids of many different ages. You Were Loved Before You Were Born is, in my opinion, an excellent example of a picture book whose true value lies in the illustrations. They enhance the relatively dry story, and are works of art in themselves. 

Review: In this second collaboration between Bunting and Barbour, a mother, speaking in soothing tones, narrates an idyllic portrait of how a child is anticipated and then welcomed into the world: “The minute Daddy and I found out we were going to have you, we loved you.” Grandmother plants a rosebush in the garden “that will grow as you grow,” and grandfather brings over the rocking chair that rocked an earlier generation. An aunt paints the moon and stars on the walls of the baby’s room. Even the family pets cooperate. Barbour’s gorgeous woodcuts are alternately nostalgic and psychedelic, perfectly fitting the sweet, boundless dreams that can precede a child’s arrival. The trees are magnificent, multicolored orbs with trunks painted in unusual hues; the butterflies appear big as eagles; and the sky tint varies from hot pink to a buttery yellow. Since there are no images of the mother growing larger, the book will work equally well for adoptive and expectant families. —Abby Nolan

Nolan, A. (2008). You Were Loved Before You Were Born. Booklist 104(13), 74. 

Suggested Use: This book might be a good addition to a list of reading choices for a parent-child reading club, where parents read along with their young children. I think the value of this story book lies in the spectacular artwork, which parents and kids could enjoy together, and in the intimate nature of the text, which is written as though spoken by a mother to a child. I definitely think this book would be enjoyed more in a one-on-one reading, rather than in a group setting.