The Baby Tree Children’s Book: Where Do Babies Come From? + Giveaway!

I was provided with a complimentary book to facilitate this review.   The opinions in this post are 100% mine.  You can read my full disclosure policy here.

Where do babies come from? Every kid will ask at some point. My son asked me last  year when he was only 4 years-old. We’re driving down the road on the way to his school in the morning and he throws that out there at random. I was really caught off guard and the timing wasn’t good for an in-depth conversation so I was vague, Mommy and Daddy love each other, yadda yadda yadda, baby. Something like that.  And thankfully he was cool with that response at the time. But I know the day will come when he wants an actual answer that makes sense.

I have always believed in the power of books to teach. Concepts that are hard for parents to find words for are so much  more easily explained in a story. The Baby Tree by Sophie Blackall is the perfect book to start the conversation about where babies come from.

The Baby Tree by Sophie Blackall

“The hostibal.” Love it.  If you have this book, when your kids ask you’ll be ready and if you know it’s time to open up the dialogue even if they haven’t asked yet, this is a great way to get the ball rolling.

Sooner or later, every child will ask, Where do babies come from? Answering this question has never been this easy or entertaining! Join a curious little boy who asks everyone from his babysitter to the mailman, getting all sorts of funny answers along the way, before his parents gently set him straight.

New from award-winning author and illustrator Sophie Blackall comes a beautiful picture book full of playful details to help answer the age-old-question..where do babies come from?

The illustrations are beautiful as you’d expect from Sophie Blackall. She is the illustrator of several award-winning books, including Ruby’s Wish by Shirin Yim Bridges, Meet Wild Boars by Meg Rosoff, Pecan Pie Baby by Jacqueline Woodson, and the Ivy and Bean books by Annie Barrows. My daughter really likes those books!

If you’re wondering if there’s anything ‘graphic’ in this book, nope, it’s totally safe.  There are a couple of pictures of a baby growing at the end but nothing explicit about how men and women make a baby.  But, if your kid is like my 8 year-old, you may get asked some additional questions when the book ends.  I was asked, “But how does the Daddy get the seed inside the Mommy’s egg?”

It’s time to have this conversation with my daughter. She’s wrapping up second grade and I know if she doesn’t hear it from me she’ll hear it from her peers which I seriously don’t want.  If you’re unsure how to get this conversation rolling The Baby Tree will help with that too. There are some great ideas for ways to answer the follow up questions your kids might ask when they’re ready for more detail on how this whole baby making thing works.

I love this book, both for it’s beautiful illustrations, fun story, and educational value. Anything that makes those tricky parenting moments easier is a big winner in my book.

You can grab The Baby Tree on Amazon and be sure to check out the author’s website to see more of her awesome work!  Follow Penguin Kids on Twitter and Facebook to be the first to know about their latest book news!

I have a copy of The Baby Tree plus a soft kids’ blanket for story time to give away to one reader.  This giveaway is open to US residents ages 18+ only and will end at 11:59pm ET on May 23, 2014.