Nine Months: Before a Baby Is Born

Before the pregnancy begins, readers observe a young family consisting of a mom, dad, and daughter during the winter season. Inside the mom, a fertilized egg divides. The next month, the family hears “the heart flutter,” and learns they are having a girl. With each passing month, the family awaits the new baby’s arrival. They have an ultrasound and build a new crib. Grandma arrives. The baby is forming and growing, sucking her thumb and moving in mom’s belly. Finally, birth.

The creative force of Miranda Paul and Jason Chin collide in this month-by-month story of a pregnancy. Paul’s story is sparse and poetic, and it pairs well with Chin’s artwork that captures a family’s life throughout the nine-month wait. As Paul’s text lovingly describes the baby growing inside and the anticipation of the family awaiting her arrival, Chin details out the different stages of pregnancy, inside and out. His scientific illustrations of the baby’s growth on the left side of the spread correspond to the family awaiting her arrival on the right side. Paul saves the medical details of pregnancy and the birthing process for several elaborate back matter spreads.