Synopses & Reviews
With poetic language and magnificent, deeply moving paintings, this beautiful book preserves the sense of awe inspired when a baby is born.When you were born
you came quietly,
and with eyes deep as an ocean
you looked at me . . .
A new baby is born — and as family, friends, and neighbors gather to share the joy, they emerge changed. Their world is redefined as they take a moment to remember the past, imagine the future, and marvel at the tiny miracle before them. In poetry as soothing as a lullaby, Dianna Hutts Aston evokes the sense of reverence that surrounds a newborn like enfolding arms. And in radiant, Chagall-like paintings, unlike any he's published before, Coretta Scott King Awardwinning artist E. B. Lewis captures a feeling of wonder that will resonate with anyone who has gazed into the eyes of a newborn child.
About the Author
Dianna Hutts Aston was born in Texas, attended the University of Houston, and worked as a journalist for several years. She is the author of several picture books for children, including LOONY LITTLE, illustrated by Kelly Murphy. Of WHEN YOU WERE BORN, she says, "When my own two children were born, I realized the love I had for them had no beginning and no end. The feeling was so profound, I knew I had to write about it."
E. B. Lewis is the illustrator of more than thirty books for children. Among his many honors are a Coretta Scott King Medal for TALKIN' ABOUT BESSIE: THE STORY OF AVIATOR ELIZABETH COLEMAN by Nikki Grimes and three Coretta Scott King Honor Books: MY ROWS AND PILE OF COINS by Tololwa M. Mollel, VIRGIE GOES TO SCHOOLS WITH US BOYS by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard, and THE BAT BOY AND HIS VIOLIN by Gavin Curtis. He says of WHEN YOU WERE BORN, "I approached this work with a childlike reckless abandon, using watercolor and marker on existing paintings. The images were created out of a desire to capture the essence of the magnificent experience of welcoming a new child."