When You Were Just a Heartbeat

by Laurel Molk

Loving parents describe the changes each season brought as their baby was growing in the womb.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316579807
• ISBN13: 9780316579803
• Release Date: April 2004
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Length: 1 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 10.3" x 10.3"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Don't listen to the School Library Journal review.

This is a fantastic book and brings tears to my eyes when I read it to my son. School Library Journal said, "As such, this book doesn't further a child's understanding but rather speaks to the intellect and aesthetic appreciation of an adult." My response is to not underestimate what a child can comprehend. My son is still an infant so when I read it to him, it is for my own appreciation. But my neice loves this book. At 3 years old she was able to understand the flow and change of the seasons with the growing of a baby over 9 months.

Exquisite and Tender Tale of Parent-Child Love

Exquisitely beautiful, poetic and tender tale of anticipation and love, 'When You Were Just a Heartbeat' is a wonderful story to be read over and over again by parents and children. The glorious watercolor illustrations and the flowing verse evoke the rhythms of the graceful dance that develops naturally between a parent and child. Reading the story with my children recreated those special warm feelings that filled the days before each child was born. My children, in turn, have begged to hear the story over and over again as well as the many stories of their individual pasts that this book inspires. This book is now my new favorite choice for baby and birthday gifts!

A Beautiful Book for Expectant Parents and Their Children

When You Were Just A Heartbeat is one of the most poetic and tender explorations of that wonderful period of expectation before a baby is born. In this book, Laurel Molk's sophisticated illustrations and touching writing combine to help soon-to-be siblings understand and appreciate both the magic moments as pregnancy progresses and the excitement of waiting for a new baby. She uses the changing of the seasons to help explain the changes that will occur over the nine months of pregnancy. Ms. Molk takes illustration to a new level, integrating the sophistication of great design with beautiful fluidity of washes to create a masterpiece on each page. Every expecting parent and soon-to-be sibling should have this book to help them capture the magic and joy of this period.