This Is Our Baby, Born Today

(Board book)

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Description

A baby is born and the world rejoices! A baby is born and the world rejoices! With a loving mama, a trumpeting herd, curious cousins, and even some dancing peacocks heralding this little one's arrival, it is apparent that the joy and wonder a new baby brings is shared by all! Varsha Bajaj's lilting prose and Eliza Wheeler's enchanting scenes of a wide-eyed baby elephant and its smitten family celebrate the importance of family and community in every child's life. Set in the lush wilds of India, this is an endearing, beautifully illustrated tribute to little ones getting their first warm welcome to the world.

Reviews

Glowing . . . gorgeous artwork lushly illuminates the day of an elephants birth. . . . The expressions on the elephant faces are sheer joy to behold; the elephant smiles are realistic and yet radiate affection. Seemingly simple, this gentle rhyming story works on two levels: the playfulness of the young elephant and its friends ensure that young children will be able to see themselves in the story, and given the depiction of the natural scenes, at least some young readers will become fascinated with the lives of elephants as well. . . . The soft cadence of the rhyming verses and the joyous pictures of the elephants will make this a bedtime favorite.Kirkus Reviews

The soft, gently repetitive text quickly establishes a soothing message of love and acceptance. . . . Bajaj focuses on a female-centric cast of elephants, subtly referencing their matriarchal societies, and glancing mentions of monkeys and peacocks give a fuller look at the books Indian setting. . . . Wheeler evokes a lush environment of towering banyan trees and dense vegetation, helping create another personified character in the setting. Its an intimate and celebratory look at the early days of an elephants life, and a reminder that human births are pretty special, too.Publishers Weekly

A newborn elephant is celebrated in a timeless manner by its herd and other animals in a wild Indian environment. . . . The landscape . . . is peaceful and lively. Scenes of the baby happily splashing in the water and sitting high atop a rock while gazing at the nighttime stars are especially fun and sweet. Rich vocabulary and engaging artwork are sure to delight readers and young listeners.School Library Journal

Author Bio

Varsha Bajaj (varshabajaj.com) also wrote the picture books The Home Builders and This Is Our Baby, Born Today (a Bank Street Best Book). She grew up in Mumbai, India, and when she came to the United States to obtain her master's degree, her adjustment to the country was aided by her awareness of the culture through books. In addition to her previous pictur books, she wrote the middle-grade novel Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood, which was shortlisted for the Cybils Award and included