When You Were New

by Jennifer Harris, Lenny Wen (Illustrator)

Overview

For fans of Dear Girl and Guess How Much I Love You, this picture book celebrates the joys of early childhood and all the first-time experiences that are exciting for parents and children, including beach days, befriending the family dog, story time on the couch, and so much more!

This book feels like a giant hug and makes the ideal gift for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, graduation, and baby showers! The sweet lyrical text reminds readers that their parents’ love will always stay with them, no matter where they are.

When you were new, there were things you didn’t know.

The magic of being new is experiencing the world for the first time, learning that cuddles smell different at the beach—like coconut, salt, and sand—or realizing it’s hard to pick raspberries without eating at least one. Get swept up in the magic and wonder of seeing the world through the eyes of a child, and treasure the perfect, golden moments you share together.

Jennifer Harris’s lyrical and achingly precise text and Lenny Wen’s heartwarming illustrations celebrate that special love and connection between you and your new one.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063137196
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/21/2023
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jennifer Harris lives in Waterloo, Ontario with her husband and children, in a little storybook house. Despite the overloaded shelves, they all firmly believe there’s always room for one more book. When You Were New is Jennifer’s second picture book, after She Stitched the Stars: A Story of Ellen Harding Baker’s Solar System Quilt. She’s also a published poet and the author of numerous essays. When not writing or reading—or thinking about chocolate—Jennifer teaches English at the University of Waterloo. You can visit her at www.mypbjam.com.

Lenny Wen is the illustrator of several picture books, including her own Wolfgang in the Meadow and Spicy Spicy Hot! Lenny was born and raised in Indonesia and currently lives in the Austrian countryside, surrounded by nature and a castle. You can visit her at lennywen.com. 

Editorial Reviews

05/05/2023

PreS-Gr 2—Like Cynthia Rylant's Birthday Presents, this book covers a daughter's first years, from when she was born to her first steps "away" from home at school. A parent narrates in a collective "we" as a mother with slightly darker skin and black hair and a father with reddish brown hair and lighter skin delight in their baby, then their toddler, and all her little moments. It adds up to the evolution of a family and how they learn about the world together: experiencing the beach for the first time; tasting different food textures for the first time (oranges in the kitchen and raspberries in the garden); showing in subtle ways a child's development. From a bundle in a nursery to a toddler playing tea, a child learns so much from the world and new parents learn along with the child. Each beautiful spread complements the different experiences, right down to a closing wall of photos that telescopes into the future and shows other landmark moments this family will face. This is a wonderful picture book to share in a unit on families; pair it with Here is the Baby by Polly Kanevsky for a great companion read. VERDICT A quietly joyful look at the passing of time, noted in small moments, that teaches mindfulness as well as the bonds of familial love.—Ruth Guerrier-Pierre

School Library Journal

2022-12-14
A little one’s journey from newborn to school-age child.

Unhurried text introduces two doting parents—one light-skinned, one-brown skinned—their dog, and their tan-skinned newborn with swaths of yellow-green and warm turquoise in a home nursery. Nature and home are the primary settings for the family’s quiet adventures: napping on a blanket at the beach, picking raspberries, and having fun in the rain. The mood is cozy, especially when the child and dog snuggle on a rug in front of a roaring fire. “When you were new” is, predictably, the periodic refrain. Its repeated use as the child grows up nudges at the idea of finding the “new” at every stage of life. The everyday moments, aside from a beach visit and car trip, are low or no cost, offering reminders of how the most special memories can stem from the ordinary. Relaxed reading on the couch, tea parties, and picnics are the treasures here. Soft illustrations in a warm palette, portraying only the parents, child, and dog, give an intimate depiction of this tightknit family and their loving bonds. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A calm, earnest memo on what matters in life. (Picture book. 2-4)

Kirkus Reviews