Mommy laid an egg! : or where do babies come from ?

by Babette Cole

Paper Book, 1993

Status

Available

Call number

7.32.01 C6 mo 1993

Genres

Children's Books

Collection

Your library

Publication

San Francisco : Chronicle Books, c1993.

Description

Two children explain to their parents, using their own drawings, where babies come from.

User reviews

LibraryThing member Poopy

Hilarious!! I saw this while browsing in my local bookstore, and thought it was so funny, I bought it even though my kids, at the time, were too young for it. Since then, they've grown into it and we have all enjoyed reading it many times. The illustrations are hysterical! Essentially, it tells the

story of two young children who ask their mother and father where babies come from. The mom and dad go through every euphemistic version of “the stork brings ‘em” – including some I’d never heard of before. Mid-story, the children erupt into giggles, telling the parents, “No, that’s not how!” And then, they proceed to tell the parents how babies are REALLY made – warning, though, that the more uptight/prudish parents out there, may object to the illustrations of a daddy “planting seeds” in the mommy with a “tube,” while being suspended from a helium balloon or rolling on a skateboard. It is just this sense of the ridiculous, combined with a very factual, yet simplified, approach that makes this book so charming. No, the clinical names of body parts are not used, but I don’t care – this is still a darn cute book!

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18 more

LibraryThing member benjamin.duffy

Surprising and hilarious. The "Crayola Kama Sutra" halfway through the book is worth the price of admission all by itself.

LibraryThing member GeniusBabies

A parody of the "birds and the bees" talk. Mom and Dad give many cute and clever ideas for where babies come from, (like under stones or from a tube), and the kids give the true answer, (in some provocative poses). Overall cute, and it may be a good way to tell kids about the truth about

baby-making (the technical part at least).

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LibraryThing member madamepince

For The Discussion. When the time comes.

LibraryThing member michelleraphael

This book "Mommy Laid an Egg" is a brief depiction of where babies come from. The truth is put out there in a funny manner. Not for the close minded families.

LibraryThing member ebruno

This sex education book teaches where babies come from. Children are very curious, and it is a natural thing to want to know. This book does a good job describing all about sex for a younger audience. I think it is effective because it offers a humorous tone while giving the facts.

LibraryThing member Elizabeth1977

An informative book which answers the question, "Where do babies come from?" in a silly, humorous way. This is a book that parents should discuss with their children.

LibraryThing member theCajunLibrarian

Wow, who needs to draw diagrams or stumble through a sex talk when this book exists? The illustrations and casual tone of the boys in this book are hilarious and risqué, but effective nonetheless.

LibraryThing member kirkonly

Mommy Laid an Egg is a fun book about a serious and controversial topic. The parents tell the kids about where babies come from, but they are completely wrong. So the children tell and show the parents where babies come from.

As a student I found this book very funny. The illustrations are great and

child like. It is very informative and true to the word. I liked it.

As a teacher I would love to use this book to help my students understand where babies come from. But I am unsure of how the parents and community would react. It is a very touchy subject, but a subject that needs to be addressed.

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LibraryThing member hcurrey

This book is good for the first round of talks about bodies and babies (4th/5th grade and down). The pictures are funny and and fun to look at, which makes the whole thing less uncomfortable for the adult.

LibraryThing member boaz9

They mum and dad think they know about how babies are born and say a lot of untrue things about it! until the kids tell them how babies are really made and born! Lots of pictures, very friendly telling of complex information.

LibraryThing member sradin2

This was the first time I read this book and I found it to be very interesting. One reason that I liked the book was because of the plot of the book. I really liked that the author took a "serious" topic and turned it into an informative book for kids. I thought the plot of the book was very

organized and it was very predictable. However, I thought it was interesting to see such a heavy topic depicted in a book that is made for children. Another reason why I liked this book was because of the point of view that was used. I really enjoyed that this book was given from the children's point of view. I liked this because this prevented the author from using big and heavy words. Because of this point of view, the story felt like it was a couple of kids talking to other kids through the story. I thought this was a unique tactic to use. Overall, I would say that the overall message of this book is that important topics can be expressed to kids in less serious, yet informative ways.

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LibraryThing member SamanthaMulkey

This book is basically sex education for small children. It is shocking, but funny. Im not sure if I would share this book with my children.

LibraryThing member arodri13

Cole presents pregnancy is an understandable and comedic way for readers of Mummy laid an Egg. The pictures and illustrations throughout this informational picture book help to teach about pregnancy. The main idea of this picture book is pregnancy.

LibraryThing member kdufrene

This book has a very cute way of telling children how babies are made. At first the kids talk about funny ways on how children are made and than the parents interrupt by telling them how babies are really made. The illustrations are funny and quite entertaining. I wouldn't read this book to a

classroom because I believe this is a subject that the parents should talk about with their children but it has a good concept to it.

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LibraryThing member KyleeO

Interesting read about where babies come from. It is truthful for children but pretty vulgar. I enjoyed it as an adult, I would be interested to see how a younger crowd would react to this story.

LibraryThing member MeganSchneider

My jaw hit the floor when reading this book. I expected it to go the way the book was leading you to believe and all of a sudden it took a turn, a gigantic turn. I personally love this book and think it would be amazing for young children to read, getting the some-what science version of how babies

are born without having the insanely awkward conversation first. This allows children the chance to come to you with questions that actually make sense, making an easier transition to understanding where babies come from. I don't know about whether this book could be read in a classroom full of young children or not, knowing some parents would not appreciate it, but parents should definitely own a copy of this book. I also think it's a funny way of saying children usually know way more than we give them credit for.

This book would be amazing for a high school sex education course. They would assume the book will be silly and then fall in love with it.

I also appreciate how the book doesn't necessarily define the act provided as "sex" but really as "reproduction" or "where babies come from". I would hope that children would ask about sex, giving you the opportunity for explaining how this sex is not the only sex, even leading into homosexual and other conversations. This will lead to less awkward moments later in life for most parents, such as "oh you're married? Where is your husband?" to a lesbian couple.. etc...

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LibraryThing member LauraMcQueen

This book is definitely not about what I thought it was going to be about. I picked it out thinking it was going to be light hearted and funny, but it really was not. This is not how I would explain the process to my children, and this is really not what I would use to explain the process to future

students. I really did not care for the drawings and while the idea may have been good, it is not the way I would go about it.

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LibraryThing member Poopy

My kids and I love this book. It takes a potentially embarassing subject from lots of blushing, mumbling, and eyerolling, to something funny and open and natural. It's a good way to answer those first questions about the "birds and bees" without getting all clinical and serious. I first gave it to

my children when they were around six or seven - when they were approaching their teens they still read it, every once in awhile, just because it's so darn cute and funny. And now that they are in their 20's, they still read it every once in awhile, just for nostalgia purposes. I'm glad it gave us an opportunity to talk about this stuff while they were still young and receptive - it has paved the way for us to continue to be open and communicate with one another as they have grown up.

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Fewer

Physical description

25 cm

ISBN

0811803503 / 9780811803502

Local notes

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.