I just couldn't wait to meet you by Kate Ritchie

Ill. by Hannah Sommerville. Penguin, 2016. ISBN 9780857989703
(Age: 4+) Child birth, Pregnancy, Family. When Kate Ritchie was pregnant, she began to talk to her unborn child, because she could not wait to see her child. Impatient, she began to dream of the child, thinking about it everyday and night.
So evolved a text about a woman readying herself for the birth of her first child, eagerly thinking about the years ahead.
She thinks about her bump and what sex it will be, what it would look like, whether it will grow to be and strong, what toys will it like. She muses on whether she will meet its gaze.
The soft illustrations chart the woman and her bump, including little drawings of what the child may be like, until the day arrives with mum and dad delivering the baby. From here the family is shown together, being together at meal times, out in the garden, loving and caring.
For the classroom, books such as these give a strong message of families linked with love and care, how families evolve, how families are created, how families interact. A strong message is given both through the text and illustrations which will be reiterated in the classroom and at home, underlining the value of family in our society.
Fran Knight