Hope & Will Have a Baby: The Gift of Egg Donation
Kindergarten-Grade 3—All four books have the same beginning and end. Matthew asks to hear the story of his birth, "their family's special fairy tale." His parents met at "grown-up school" where they learned many interesting things, including the fact that, "A tiny embryo gets formed when a man's special baby-making seed called sperm and a woman's special baby-making egg get together." After they get married, they try to conceive, but "no baby grew in Hope's special place…." They go to see Dr. Quest, a "special doctor," who informs them that they won't be able to make a baby together but that there are other things they can do. It is here that the four books diverge, each presenting its respective topic. In each case, a loving and helpful person who loves animals, flowers, and only chocolate cones for ice cream (just like Hope and Will) is found. The rest of each book celebrates the anticipation and birth of the long-awaited baby, Matthew. These books are meant to reassure readers whose own conception involved one of these reproductive options. As such, the audience for each one is limited. Compounding this limitation is the condescending tone. Readers may well remember the name of the egg donor, Sunshine, rather than understand the significance of her role, or they may focus on the ice cream rather than the parents' emotional decision. These books are not helped by the murky cartoon art that has Will licking his lips over the medicine he's about to take.—Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MICopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.