When You Were Just a Heartbeat - Hardcover

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PreSchool-K–At the beginning of this book, readers see a picture of a newborn baby held close in loving arms; the child does not appear again until the last page. In between, the poetic and evocative text follows the growth of the fetus and draws parallels between it and the changes in the natural world. For example, "At last you could hear us. It seemed as if the birds were celebrating–calling back and forth…." As the year progresses, birds build nests and squirrels gather acorns. Molk's lovely, minimalist watercolor artwork shows a variety of fauna and flora through the changing seasons. Set against brilliant white backgrounds, the paintings are alive with deep colors and dynamic movement. A lone duck comes in for a landing, majestic as it fills an entire page. A cherry tree branch cuts an angled path across the page, a single black-capped chickadee perched upon the limb. The difficulty is that the connection between the unseen fetus and the outside world is oblique rather than concrete: "Around the time you opened your eyes for the first time, the irises were standing straight and tall." A youngster would have to know both the stages of the developing infant and the signs by which the changing seasons are recognized in order to grasp the author's intent. As such, this book doesn't further a child's understanding but rather speaks to the intellect and aesthetic appreciation of an adult.–Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MI
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PreS-Gr.1. Falling in love with her child from its first heartbeat, an unseen parent describes to her young one what that time of happy anticipation was like: "As you grew, winter turned to spring / the pond melted, and the ducks returned from far, far away." Each spread focuses on a particular creature--a salamander, a chickadee, a squirrel--in words and pictures and describes what the animal was doing as the months rolled on. Then, by autumn, "When you were too big to roll over, / the pumpkins were fat and round on the vine." And when "you" were born, "we all rejoiced." Matching the evocative simplicity of the words are graceful, quiet watercolors on snow-white pages, free of extraneous design work and accomplished with a technique reminiscent of Japanese brushwork. For all its loveliness, however, the book may appeal most to adults who will appreciate its sophisticated look. Still, kids always like listening to stories about when they were born, and this one brims with love. Ilene Cooper
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