Day-Old Child

April 1, 2021
Pearson's popular poem gets complementary illustrations. The short poem talks of a mother's wish that her day-old child could understand her words so she could tell them all about God. "My day-old child lay in my arms. / In a whisper, lips to ear-- / I said, 'Oh, dear one, how I wish--' / 'I wish that you could hear.' " And as she whispers this wish to her child, she sees a light in the babe's eyes and has the thought that perhaps the child similarly wishes for language so that they could tell their mother, before they forget, all about God: "I left God just yesterday." Egbert's sweet art keeps the focus on four separate mother-baby pairs that repeat in turn throughout the book. Three of these mothers seem to have opposite-sex partners, and one of these pairings is an interracial one; the fourth could be interpreted as one part of an interracial same-sex couple. All four, along with the various family members, are racially diverse. Figures are outlined definitively but with a soft, smudgy line that welcomes readers in. The soft colors and clear love seen on all the faces make this an attractive package for parents who are waiting to share the love of God with their little ones, though there is little here that will appeal to those little ones directly. A sweet baby shower book for religious parents. (Picture book. 3-6, adult)

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May 1, 2021

K-Gr 2-A picture book version of Pearson's 1967 poem, "Day Old Child," that is now widely available online. A mother speaks to her child wishing for them to grow quickly so she may tell them about God, while the child wishes they could speak and tell their mother they just came from God yesterday. In this version, Pearson and Egbert make both the child and God gender neutral. Wonderful watercolor illustrations transform the words and ideas in full-page spreads featuring beautiful colors, rich details, and casual inclusivity: a parade of different families and babies in a variety of locations. The people, with skin tones ranging from peach to brown, appear to include different ethnicities, and the families' make-ups include interracial, same-sex, and heterosexual couples. VERDICT An established poem about God and children gets new life with a gender neutral makeover and delightfully inclusive illustrations.-Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Lib., Troy, NH

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