Before You Were Born

by Deborah Kerbel, Suzanne Del Rizzo (Illustrator)

Overview

This touching and evocative story about welcoming a baby to the world is a love letter to young children, tenderly expressing the joy and promise a new life brings

“Before…You were a song in our hearts, a star in our eyes.”

Told from the perspective of new parents welcoming their baby to the world, this touching love letter to young children by Governor General’s Literary Award–nominated author Deborah Kerbel describes with lyrical grace all of the promise held by new life. As the seasons change from fall through winter and into spring, the expectant parents’ anticipation over the baby’s arrival is mirrored in the animals around the family’s seaside home, marrying the natural world to the family’s experience.

Suzanne Del Rizzo, author-illustrator of My Beautiful Birds — a New York Times Notable Children’s Books selection and winner of the 2018 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award — adds an intricately tactile element with her lush illustrations rendered in polymer clay and acrylic wash, depicting the animals in scenes at times playful and other times serene.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781772780826
Publisher:	Pajama Press
Publication date:	05/03/2019
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Lexile:	520L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Deborah Kerbel is the author of the picture book Sun Dog (Pajama Press 2018) and several novels for middle grade and young adult readers. Born in London, England, she moved to Canada at the age of two and went on to attend the University of Western Ontario. Her novels have been shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award, the Canadian Library Association YA Book of the Year, and the Manitoba Young Reader’s Choice Award. Deborah lives in Thornhill, Ontario, with her husband, two book-loving children, and a schnoodle named Alfredo.

Suzanne Del Rizzo has always loved getting her hands messy. She traded her job in scientific research for a career in children’s books, creating dimensional illustrations with polymer clay, acrylic paint, and other media. Suzanne’s 2017 picture book My Beautiful Birds was a New York Times Notable Children’s Books selection, a Junior Library Guild selection, and the 2017 One Book, One San Diego for Kids selection. It also won the Malka Penn Award for Human Rights in Children’s Literature and was an honorable mention for the Middle-East Book Award. Suzanne lives in Oakville, Ontario, with her family.

Editorial Reviews

03/18/2019

Kerbel’s lullabylike verses draw allusions between moments in nature and a family’s anticipation of a new baby: “You were.../ A song in our hearts,/ A star in our eyes,/ A smile on our lips,/ Shimmering skies,” she writes. Rizzo’s unique illustrations are rendered using polymer clay and acrylics to create a dioramalike effect. Forest and mountain scenes feature textured trees and blue-tinged snow, thick like cake frosting. Among the animals in the spreads are foxes, bears, birds, and deer, and a blue whale and calf swim under ocean swells. The many animals gather to welcome the infant, “where Father Sky/ meets Mother Earth,/ A new family dawns/ in the glow/ of your birth.” A mother and father hold their newborn in a verdant seaside meadow. Rizzo brings eye-catching allure to Kerbel’s wistful welcome. Ages 4–7. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Before You Were Born

2019 Northern Lights Book Award: Best Illustrator Winner

2019 School Library Journal “It’s Toddler Time | 35 New Titles To Recharge Lapsit and Storytime Programs” roundup selection

"Kerbel's lullabylike verses draw allusions between moments in nature and a family's anticipation of a new baby...Del Rizzo brings eye-catching allure to Kerbel's wistful welcome."—Publishers Weekly

"A gorgeous, captivating, and moving story, this book will touch the hearts and mesmerize the eyes of readers both young and old. VERDICT New parents will love reading this book as they prepare for and welcome new additions to their home. Additionally, art students will relish the complexity and unique nature of the presentation."—School Library Journal

"[D]istinctive...The depth and intricate detail of the pictures invite a second look, especially when watching the seasons change from fall to winter to summer...A sweet addition to the genre."—Booklist

"[T]he metaphors will surely strike a chord...And the ending is both beautifully illustrated and poignant....Del Rizzo's polymer clay–and–acrylic wash artwork is the star here, adding texture and depth to the scenes, which show animals, many with babies, in their natural habitats."—Kirkus Reviews

"A unique and charmingly presented picture book story for children ages 4-7, Before You Were Born will prove to be an enduringly popular and appreciated addition to family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community library collections."—Midwest Book Review

"Del Rizzo's polymer clay and acrylic paint illustrations look beautiful and realistic on the double page spreads throughout the book. The ground, the skies, the shadows, and the closeups of the animals on the land and in the sea are mesmerizing in their attention to detail....This would make a fantastic baby shower gift or a good choice to read to a child to remind them about how much they are loved."—Resource Links

"This breathtaking weave of prose and stunning artwork pulls at the heartstrings from start to finish....Suzanne Del Rizzo illustrates each animal with immaculate detail and grace....Overall, an expectant couple will relate to the many feelings of anticipation and love as they read the velvety prose and feast upon the artwork....Highly Recommended."—CM Magazine

“Kerbel’s poetic text is lyrical and rhythmic, at times lifting us up and carrying us along with its joy and grace, and then settling us down in quiet reflection and love. Del Rizzo’s gorgeous illustrations…perfectly embody the tone of the text and double-page spreads embrace us with beauty, texture and depth.”—Canadian Children’s Book News

“We rated this book: [5/5] Before You Were Born is the sweetest book I have ever read....A beautiful, lovely, gorgeous, elaborate tale of the life of nature, the glory of seasons, and the beauty of human beings."—Alexandria, Age 7, Kids' BookBuzz

"Books are wildly popular baby shower gifts and Before You Were Born will be a hit with parents and children alike so consider it your future go-to book for celebrating an upcoming birth."—CanLit for LittleCanadians

"Absolutely breathtaking, stunning, gorgeous, and brought tears to my eyes....Once you see the descriptive language with the beautiful illustrations, you will be hooked and understand why I think this book is the most beautiful thing I have seen."—Mrs. Book Dragon

"This is a beautiful book for new parents, that will make an excellent baby shower gift for first and second time parents. It will be a gift to treasure for years to come."—Working Mommy Journal

"A poetic, poignant, and harmonious ode to new life and family...Deborah Kerbel's lyrical text reads as so very sweet and sincere while still feeling soft, gentle, and controlled...in other words, just right. The rhyming and appealingly melodic text reads effortlessly and allows Before You Were Born to work as a read aloud, gentle nighttime story, or as a lullaby."—Fab Book Reviews

"In this welcome lullaby for a new baby, Ms. Kerbel links nature with the patience needed for parents anticipating its arrival....The artwork is created in polymer clay, acrylic paint, and other media with the same skill that Ms. Del Rizzo has shown in her previous works. They are exceptional in color, texture and design."—Sal's Fiction Addiction

"This lovely book is a perfect gift for a new mother or father, and a perfect bedtime read for a little one, sending them to sleep with lovely images and the comfort of knowing how much they are loved....The lyricism of Kerbel's words is beautiful, each phrase of anticipation leading you on to the next page. It just flows and the words are full of love....Del Rizzo's 3D illustrations using polymer clay bring everything to life."—Canadian Bookworm

From the Publisher

05/01/2019

Baby-Toddler–It is amazing how much the world changes when a baby is born: such a small creature can somehow make everything seem different. From the time before conception through pregnancy and birth, Kerbel's simple, lyrical text brings the anticipation and joy of a growing family to life. Though the language is lovely, it is the striking artwork that truly shines. Del Rizzo's elaborate figurines and scenery crafted from polymer clay and acrylic paint are used to depict the story; the words almost disappear within these noteworthy visuals. The pages vary from somber tones to brighter hues, including images of humans and animals coexisting with their children in a multifaceted world rich in texture and beauty. A gorgeous, captivating, and moving story, this book will touch the hearts and mesmerize the eyes of readers both young and old. VERDICT New parents will love reading this book as they prepare for and welcome new additions to their home. Additionally, art students will relish the complexity and unique nature of the presentation.—Mary Lanni, Denver Public Library

School Library Journal

2019-03-12
Poetic verses compare a child's pre-birth potential with things in the natural world in this latest collaboration between Kerbel and Del Rizzo (Sun Dog, 2018).

"Before, you were… / A song in our hearts, / A star in our eyes, // A smile on our lips, / Shimmering skies, // The sun on our faces, / The full moon at night, // The tiniest murmur of tender delight." While rhythmic and rather soporific, the comparisons are not ones children will be familiar with or likely to understand, and they only grow more abstract from this beginning. For parents-to-be and new moms and dads, though, the metaphors will surely strike a chord: A child in utero is "A curve in the road, up ahead out of view, / A whispered secret that only we knew." And the ending is both beautifully illustrated and poignant: "Where Father Sky meets Mother Earth, // A new family dawns in the glow of your birth." Accompanying the first line of the couplet are many of the animals that have appeared before in a sunrise gathering near the ocean, and accompanying the second is the light-skinned family—mother, father, baby—in each other's arms and overlooking the same ocean sunrise. While the text is abstract and tends toward treacly, Del Rizzo's polymer clay-and-acrylic wash artwork is the star here, adding texture and depth to the scenes, which show animals, many with babies, in their natural habitats.

Parents-to-be may enjoy the poetry, but only the pictures are meant for children. (Picture book. Adult)

Kirkus Reviews

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