Friday, December 6, 2013

Hope & Will have a baby: the gift of sperm donation

Hope & Will have a baby: the gift of sperm donation 
by Iréné Celcer 
illus. by Horacio Gatto 
Language: English 
Niskayuna, N.Y. : Graphite, ©2006. 
1 v. (unpaged) : col. ill. ; 21 x 26 cm. 
ISBN: 9780975581032; 0975581031 
My annotation: Matthew loves to hear his “family’s special fairy tale.” It is the story of what his parents went through in order to bring him into the world. It begins with a brief introduction to human reproduction, not the sex part, but how babies grow in uteruses and start out as embryos. After many months of trying to have a baby, Hope and Will, Matthew’s mom and dad, visit a doctor who eventually tells them “that they were not going to be able to make a baby together.” This is heartbreaking news. Although the book does not explain the nature of the couple’s infertility, the doctor tells them they can however try donor insemination, at this point introducing children to the term “sperm donor.” The book also introduces children to other big words like “sonogram,” “uterus,” “embryo,” and “sperm” in addition to the term "donor." In addition to the big words, the book also introduces children to big concepts like patience and sadness and shows how painful, frustrating, and difficult the process of trying to have a baby can be, as well as the depression that can set in when trying so hard is not working. In the end though, Matthew’s parents “were very proud of each other and their sperm donor. And “thanks to their combined efforts and his kindness” they became a family. The book takes a child-conception and a family-building approach and employs the “nuts & bolts,” "the helper," and the "labor of love" scripts. The full-color illustrations are appealing and professionally rendered. Recommended for children ages 5-8. 
Library of Congress Subject Headings:

  • Infertility -- Fictional works
  • Fertilization in Vitro -- Fictional works
  • Infertility -- Fiction

Available: http://graphitepress.com/bookstore/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=31 
Author's Web site: http://www.hopeandwill.com/pages/main/synopsis.php

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