There's A House Inside My Mommy

There's a House Inside My Mommy

From School Library JournalPreSchool-Using a simple rhyming structure, a young boy describes the changes in his pregnant mother by imagining that within her big belly there is a house where the new baby stays. This belief helps him to understand why her tummy gets bigger and why she eats crazy things, and gives him empathy for her need to rest or for her times of feeling sick-"-if I had a house in me I'd feel all yucky too." There is nothing technical here, no pictures of the baby's growth or use of scientific terms. Rather, the book is told in toddler speak-the baby sleeps in a sort of giant bathtub and he can't come out yet because the door is still shut tight. While this approach is effective, when reading the book out loud the singular view created does wear thin-not all pages are equally clever. Plus, the final page, when the baby has arrived so "There's no one in her tummy now," seems abrupt. It's a concrete conclusion and appropriate for the target age, and yet unexpected due to a lack of buildup. The positive outlook of the enthusiastic, innocent narrator is reinforced by the sunny, pleasant illustrations. The full-color art is reminiscent of the work of Helen Oxenbury, with sweet open-faced characters and a soothing use of muted primary colors, with a predominance of mustard yellow. Overall, this is a soothing book with a unique perspective, but it's not essential.Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MICopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.As Mommy explains to her young child about the arrival of the new baby, he delights in taking part in conversations with his new sibling through the "tummy telephone" and watching the baby house in Mommy's tummy grow with each passing day.From Publishers WeeklyA preschooler reasons that his pregnant mother's growing body contains an actual domicile for his sibling-to-be: "My daddy says I lived there too/ When I was being made/ But I don't remember very much/ About it, I'm afraid." Andreae and Cabban (previously paired for Love Is a Handful of Honey) opt for a tone of maximum reassurance the boy expresses no anxieties about being displaced and gets plenty of unharried attention and snuggling from both placid-looking parents. But Cabban's warm-toned watercolor cartoons still have a bit of realism: Mommy is seen grazing at the refrigerator and conked out on the sofa, and, as he and Mommy take a bubble bath together, the boy runs a toy car over her belly. Andreae's rhymes about "Mommy's tummy house" veer between soothing and precious. (Reporting that sometimes Mommy "feels so sick," the boy concludes, "If I had a house in me,/ I'd feel all yucky, too.") While some readers will likely find the tone and cadences condescending, very young children looking forward to the birth of a sibling will probably enjoy seeing their enthusiasm reflected here. Ages 4-8.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.From BooklistPreS-Gr.1. First published in England, this affectionate, playful book features a young child imagining "a house inside my mommy / Where my little brother grows." In the warm, appealing illustrations, the child goes about his daily routine: waking, brushing his teeth, eating, playing, bathing, and reading with his parents. The rhythmic, rhyming text sounds simple and childlike as the boy relates what he's been told: "It's very warm and cozy / But because there's not a bed, / There's a sort of giant bathtub, / Where the baby sleeps instead." Though the story focuses mainly on the boy and the baby, it does mention some differences in Mommy, who naps, eats "all sorts of crazy stuff," and feels sick sometimes. Even so, this home will look idyllic to most preschoolers, not because of the many toys and books strewn around the rooms, but because of the two loving parents actively, engaged with their child all day long. Cabban illustrates the story with simplicity of line, warmth of color, and a powerful sense of what wi