Mommy Laid an Egg: Or, Where Do Babies Come From?

By Babette Cole

Book Overview

In this hilarious twist on one of the most difficult discussions in a child's development, award winning author Babette Cole illustrates the one question all children are bound to ask: Where do babies come from? Mom explains that you can make babies out of gingerbread, grow them from seeds, or squeeze them out of tubes, while Dad says you can find babies under rocks. Amused by their parents' silly answers, the children decide to set the adults straight. In a series of zany diagrams, the children show the adults exactly where babies come from. The offbeat illustrations are accompanied by a text that is short, simple, and anything but predictable. This is a funny book that will delight, entertain, and educate the entire family.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0811803503
• ISBN13: 9780811803502
• Release Date: June 1993
• Publisher: Chronicle Books
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 0.99 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 1.0" x 1.0"
• Age Range: 12 years and under
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 7

Customer Reviews

The perfect start of an interesting discussion

We own this book and also "Where did I Come from?" by Peter Mayle (which I had as a child in the '70's.) For our family, this book has been a comfortable light-hearted way to answer our preschoolers' questions about where she came from without getting bogged down in confusing medical terminology. She definitely *GETS* it, thinks it's hilarious (especially the part about the babies growing on plants) and says she loves the drawings. (She's a very visual person) As far as the 2 page spread showing the hippie couple "doing it" on the hippity hop, all I can say is: I think this section was designed to make the adult reader laugh. (Lighten up folks...sex IS pretty funny and slightly ridiculous when you think about it) My daughter barely glossed over this part and was far more interested in the "great egg race". Comparing the 2 books, I am far more comfortable reading this than the Mayle book, which I think is more suitable for older kids as it delves more into the "making love" aspect of reproduction. Kudos to the author/illustrator for tackling a tough topic in a charming and funny way.

This book is wonderful and was perfect for my 5yr old.

When my daughter was five she and several of her preschool classmates had questions about where babies come from. (There were a couple of moms expecting at the time.) I bought this book for my daughter and we read it together many times. She loved it. The level of factual versus farcical information was perfect for her. My daughter wanted to shared it with her classmates at the same time that other parents were asking me about the book so with the teachers permission she took it to school. The teacher read it to the class and they loved it as well. Even five year olds could understand the basic mechanics and appreciate the information while still appreciating that parts of the story are SILLY. My next daughter wasn't interested in the book until 1st grade but she enjoyed it as well. My daughters are now 8 and 10 and have kept this book on the shelf because they love how silly it is even though they have gone on to read several more books that contain strictly factual information. This is a wonderful book.

An Easy Approach to what-should-be-an-easy topic

Mommy Laid an Egg offers me the opportunity to explain reproduction--and the intricacies that surround it, such as how the egg is actually placed into mommy's uterus--exactly the way I would want a child to understand it...not too much, not too little. It walks the fine line between medical over-articulation, speculative "love talk" (ie: When a man loves a woman...), and baby talk. And best of all, it takes the approach that most children take on this subject--something they already knew. When the parents attempt to offer a childish explanation of where babies come from, the children offer their own explanation in their own language. Children will enjoy getting the upper hand, as the children in the story do. I highly recommend this to all like-minded parents.

Humorous, engaging and just enough information.

Writer and illustrator Babette Cole won the LA Parent Magazine Book Award for this decidedly non-sentimental look at where babies come from. The book begins with the parents telling their kids all the fanciful myths about babies' origins - "You can make them out of gingerbread," "Sometimes you just find them under rocks." Then the children, amused at their parents' lack of knowledge, proceed to explain just where babies do come from, complete with child-like illustrations. A wonderful book, with just enough information for small children.

A hilarious education for children and adults

I bought "Mommy Laid an Egg!" for my kids when they were toddlers. Four years later, we still refer to it when reviewing where babies come from. This book states the facts of life simply and with tremendous doses of visual humor. We love it and I've recommended to all my friends, especially the ones who fear talking about the "birds and the bees."