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Since the Baby Came

A Sibling's Learning-to-Love Story in 16 Poems

Author Kathleen Long Bostrom
Illustrated by Janet Samuel
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Hardcover
$12.99 US
PRH Christian Publishing | WaterBrook
8.76"W x 8.78"H x 0.33"D  
On sale May 02, 2023 | 40 Pages | 9780593577684
Preschool - 2
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This charming, playful story-in-verse introduces children to a variety of different poetic forms while walking them through all the twists and turns of welcoming a new baby into the family.

Mama is having a baby.
Everything’s starting to change.
God, can you tell me what happened?
Life is becoming so strange.

Since the Baby Came offers a unique take on a timeless topic. The heartfelt and humorous drama unfolds completely in verse, addressing the full range of emotions a young child experiences when a new baby joins the family—from surprise and confusion to feelings of neglect and jealousy to wholehearted tenderness and affection. The book also introduces young children to the playfulness and fun of various forms of poetry, from senryu to villanelle. 

Look out! It’s a diaper volcano!
Forgive me for being abrupt.
There isn’t much time to explain—OH!
That thing is about to erupt!
Kathleen Long Bostrom is an award-winning author of over fifty books for children. Her books are published in over twenty languages. She is an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA) who now writes full time. As a middle child, Kathy was both the new baby and the older sister who later became a mother of three herself. She knows whereof she rhymes!

Janet Samuel is an illustrator who lives in a small town in Wales with her daughter, Alice, and scruffy terrier, Tilly. Janet has illustrated books for many publishers, including Macmillan, Usbourne, Little Tiger Press, Scholastic, and Lion Hudson. She is happiest with a pencil or paintbrush in hand.
Kathleen Long Bostrom View titles by Kathleen Long Bostrom
Janet Samuel View titles by Janet Samuel
Mama Is Having a Baby

Mama is having a baby.
Everything’s starting to change.
God, can you tell me what happened?
Life is becoming so strange.

Mama grows bigger and bigger.
Now I don’t fit in her lap.
Just when I’m ready for playtime,
Mama is taking a nap!

Daddy keeps bringing home presents:
Diapers and blankets and bibs.
My toys are stuffed in a corner.
All pushed aside for the crib.

Baby is taking forever.
Shouldn’t he be here by now?
Nobody says when he’s coming.
And nobody wants to say how.

Mama is having a baby.
It could take years at this rate!
Even though everything’s ready,
God, will you help me to wait?
Copyright © 2023 by Kathleen Long Bostrom; Illustrated by Janet Samuel. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
“This book gently validates the emotions children experience when a new sibling arrives and offers assurance that all will be well.”—School Library Journal

“Samuel’s unlined renderings . . . have a luminous softness that suits [Bostrom’s] combination of playfulness and loving kindness.”—Publishers Weekly
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additional book photo
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About

This charming, playful story-in-verse introduces children to a variety of different poetic forms while walking them through all the twists and turns of welcoming a new baby into the family.

Mama is having a baby.
Everything’s starting to change.
God, can you tell me what happened?
Life is becoming so strange.

Since the Baby Came offers a unique take on a timeless topic. The heartfelt and humorous drama unfolds completely in verse, addressing the full range of emotions a young child experiences when a new baby joins the family—from surprise and confusion to feelings of neglect and jealousy to wholehearted tenderness and affection. The book also introduces young children to the playfulness and fun of various forms of poetry, from senryu to villanelle. 

Look out! It’s a diaper volcano!
Forgive me for being abrupt.
There isn’t much time to explain—OH!
That thing is about to erupt!

Author

Kathleen Long Bostrom is an award-winning author of over fifty books for children. Her books are published in over twenty languages. She is an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA) who now writes full time. As a middle child, Kathy was both the new baby and the older sister who later became a mother of three herself. She knows whereof she rhymes!

Janet Samuel is an illustrator who lives in a small town in Wales with her daughter, Alice, and scruffy terrier, Tilly. Janet has illustrated books for many publishers, including Macmillan, Usbourne, Little Tiger Press, Scholastic, and Lion Hudson. She is happiest with a pencil or paintbrush in hand.
Kathleen Long Bostrom View titles by Kathleen Long Bostrom
Janet Samuel View titles by Janet Samuel

Excerpt

Mama Is Having a Baby

Mama is having a baby.
Everything’s starting to change.
God, can you tell me what happened?
Life is becoming so strange.

Mama grows bigger and bigger.
Now I don’t fit in her lap.
Just when I’m ready for playtime,
Mama is taking a nap!

Daddy keeps bringing home presents:
Diapers and blankets and bibs.
My toys are stuffed in a corner.
All pushed aside for the crib.

Baby is taking forever.
Shouldn’t he be here by now?
Nobody says when he’s coming.
And nobody wants to say how.

Mama is having a baby.
It could take years at this rate!
Even though everything’s ready,
God, will you help me to wait?
Copyright © 2023 by Kathleen Long Bostrom; Illustrated by Janet Samuel. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Praise

“This book gently validates the emotions children experience when a new sibling arrives and offers assurance that all will be well.”—School Library Journal

“Samuel’s unlined renderings . . . have a luminous softness that suits [Bostrom’s] combination of playfulness and loving kindness.”—Publishers Weekly

Photos

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