"Before...You were a song in our hearts, a star in our eyes." Told from the perspective of new parents welcoming their baby to the world, this touching love letter to young children by Governor General's Literary Award-nominated author Deborah Kerbel describes with lyrical grace all of the promise held by new life. As the seasons change from fall through winter and into spring, the expectant parents' anticipation over the baby's arrival is mirrored in the animals around the family's seaside home, marrying the natural world to the family's experience. Suzanne Del Rizzo, author-illustrator of My Beautiful Birds - a New York Times Notable Children's Books selection and winner of the 2018 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award - adds an intricately tactile element with her lush illustrations rendered in polymer clay and acrylic wash, depicting the animals in scenes at times playful and other times serene.

 

This book has been graded for interest at 4-7 years.

There are 32 pages in this book. This book was published 2019 by Pajama Press .

Deborah Kerbel was born in London, England, but moved to Canada before she was old enough to cultivate a posh accent or a love of marmalade. She grew up in Toronto, Ontario, with her parents, sister, brother and a beagle named Snoopy. Suzanne Del Rizzo is the award-winning author/illustrator of My Beautiful Birds and the illustrator of several other books for children. Suzanne's dimensional illustrations use polymer clay, acrylic, and other mixed media to bring rich texture and imagination to her books. She lives in Oakville, Ontario. Suzanne Del Rizzo is the award-winning author/illustrator of My Beautiful Birds and the illustrator of several other books for children. Suzanne's dimensional illustrations use polymer clay, acrylic, and other mixed media to bring rich texture and imagination to her books. She lives in Oakville, Ontario.