This New Baby

Deborah Dowson is a children’s librarian who has recently relocated to
North Wales, Pennsylvania.

To read this book is to be touched by an idyllic vision of a new
baby’s life. From the pastoral setting to the earthy poetic imagery,
this picture book is pure romance. Mother cradles her baby with
tenderness and joy, and as he sleeps in her arms she compares him to the
night’s peaceful nature scenes that surround them. Dawn comes and the
mood shifts as baby cries and awakens the rest of the family. Yet, the
perfection of the scene is undisturbed because baby’s cry is as
natural as a hawk taking flight. Together the loving family admire their
newest member with complete happiness.

Everything in this book evokes the beauty of parental love. Karen
Reczuch’s illustrations perfectly capture the text’s poetic images
and Teddy Jam’s verse is powerful in its spare use of language.
Surprising similes, such as “[t]his new baby / lies in my arms / like
summer dark / sleeping on new grass” are particularly sensual. This is
a book to be enjoyed for the beautiful emotions it inspires.

Recommended.