Mama Lou's Belly
- Publisher
- Orca Book Publishers
- Initial publish date
- Oct 2023
- Category
- New Baby, Multigenerational, Siblings
- Recommended Age
- 3 to 5
- Recommended Grade
- p to k
- Recommended Reading age
- 3 to 5
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9781459833883
- Publish Date
- Oct 2023
- List Price
- $21.95
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9781459833906
- Publish Date
- Oct 2023
- List Price
- $17.99
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
Mama Lou is pregnant and everyone’s guessing what’s in her belly.
Who is hiding in there? The bird thinks it’s a cat because everyone keeps petting it. The cat thinks it’s a mouse because Mama Lou is craving cheese. The brother thinks it’s a boy, and a good soccer player too. And the sister thinks it’s a doll she can dress up. Everyone has their own idea. “But I’m not any of those things!” the baby says from inside Mama’s belly. “I’m me! Don’t you understand?” No one can hear it. Until…WHAAA! The baby is tired of being ignored. It’s time their voice was heard. Finally the guessing is over and the baby can show their family who they really are!
About the authors
Marie-Francine Hébert is an award-winning writer for young people of all ages. She has nearly twenty books to her credit and has seen her work translated into numerous languages, among them Chinese, Arabic, Korean, Polish, English and German; Marie-Francine’s books and work for television and film have garnered many prizes, among them the Governor General’s Award, the Mr. Christie’s Book Award and the Munich Library’s White Ravens Selection.
Marie-Francine Hébert's profile page
Guillaume Perreault is a graphic designer but now works mainly as a freelance illustrator and author. His techniques vary according to his projects, but balance, contrast and humor are present in all of his work. Guillaume lives in Gatineau, Quebec.
Guillaume Perreault's profile page
Charles Simard is a Québécois editor and translator from Montréal, also known as Tiohtià:ke and Mooniyaang. He works as poetry, fiction, and non-fiction editor for Talonbooks in Vancouver on Coast Salish Territory. His published work includes the essay Littérature, analyse et forme: Herbert, Tolkien, Borges, Eco (EUE, 2010) and a number of translations for Orca Book Publishers, including Elise Gravel’s The Wrench and Myriam Daguzan Bernier’s dictionary of sexuality, Naked. As a lexicographer, he has collaborated on the making of the popular linguistic suite Antidote in its bilingual editions. He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in comparative literature from Université de Montréal and was a postdoctoral fellow at the City University of New York’s Graduate
Center. His doctoral and postdoctoral publications focused on the poetics of avant-garde composer and writer John Cage. He lives in Montréal, Québec.
Editorial Reviews
“A cute story that expresses all the excitement before the arrival of a new family member and how people like to guess the gender…the story shows how the new baby is given unconditional love, no matter what was predicted…Young readers will enjoy the funny illustrations. Highly recommended.”
CM: Canadian Review of Materials
“The illustrations align perfectly with the text…Provides good conversation points for children. One being that gender does not matter. What is important is a healthy baby. The other being an explanation of what it means to be nonbinary for an older child who may be ready to grasp this concept…This book would make a wonderful gift for any family that is excitedly awaiting the birth of another child.”
Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD)
“The warm artwork and gently rendered characters echo the love and affection the family feels for each other...A welcome addition to libraries looking to add books about new babies.”
School Library Journal
“This lively book makes the waiting [prior to a baby’s birth] more fun as each character has a personal take on what it might or should be.”
Sal's Fiction Addiction
