The DFF Book Club

We’re talking a lot about babies around here.

Although Aisha’s been around for two new additions, she’s so much more aware and interested in what is happening within my tummy and what will actually transpire for Baby D’s birth. In fact, she’s so inquisitive, David mildly enquired whether she could be present for the birth. (Ummm, no.)

While boxing up the books for our move, I’ve kept out all the books that describe how babies are born and their first growth stages. The variation in quality (and information!) has prompted me to share this gem with you — a book that should be in every home library, introduced while the children are toddlers and left for older kids to peruse at their leisure.

Where do babies come from, by Margaret Sheffield
The revised edition includes new illustrations, especially showing the stages of the baby's in-utero growth.

Where do babies come from, by Margaret Sheffield
The illustrations by Sheila Bewley are just gorgeous, making this very useful book into a treasure for the eye.

Where do babies come from, by Margaret Sheffield
The issues of gender differences and growth (from child to adult) are explained very well.

I like the clear writing style: “Boys are different from girls, of course.”

And it is also much easier to read someone else’s words on a squeamish topic rather than answer off-the-bat questions about something kept pretty private. In fact, David was in another room when he heard me reading this book to the kids, and he came in to hear how the author handled the subject of sex:

To make a baby, a sperm from the man has to get to one of these eggs in the woman. The only way for sperm to get to an egg is through the woman’s vagina. This is how babies are begun, with the man lying so close to the woman that his penis can fit into her vagina. If one of his sperms can get to one of her eggs, a baby will begin to grow.

Easy! There, I said it. Now the book moves on to the baby’s growth, beautifully illustrated for three stages of growth. From a child’s point of view, the baby at the end of the book is much more interesting than the two naked people lying close together.

Where do babies come from, by Margaret Sheffield
It's fantastic to have such a graphic illustration showing how the majority of babies are born, giving children a clearer idea of what actually happens.

You can find Where do babies come from? on Amazon, but I’m afraid I couldn’t find an Australian online vendor with it in stock. However, I do have an older version, hardback, on my shelves, so leave a comment if you’d like this book in your collection, and I’ll select a random winner!