Product Description
For siblings, the happy anticipation of the birth of a new brother or sister can turn to worry and confusion when the baby is born prematurely. This is the set-up for the new children’s book, Evan Early. Natalie, the book’s narrator, has just become a "big sister," and the story begins with her proudly announcing, "I have a new brother. His name is Evan Earl. But he doesn’t live with us, not yet." She cleverly nicknames him Evan Early because he arrived too soon.

Through Natalie’s experiences, this comforting story helps young children understand and cope with the uncertainties surrounding the birth of a premature sibling. One of the first questions for many children is, "How long before the baby comes home?" To help ease Natalie’s mind, her father gives her a calendar to color in the days as they wait.

Like most premature babies, Evan’s first home is the hospital NICU, a busy, sometimes scary place where Natalie has to learn the proper procedures for visiting her brother--washing hands with soap and water, wearing a gown to cover her clothes—-and wonders what all the machines and wires do.

Natalie also experiences many emotional ups and downs along the way. She becomes hurt and angry because her parents seem preoccupied with Evan and spend so much time at the hospital. But when her mom tells her that Evan will need lots of extra help to grow and get strong, her anger subsides, and she begins to feel protective of her baby brother again.

Evan Early, with its expressive illustrations and realistic storyline, offers young readers a comparison to their own family’s experience. A set of questions and answers on prematurity at the end of the book lends additional support. This story is sure to be popular with siblings and their parents, and recommended by neonatal nurses and pediatricians, and social workers.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 5.0 based on 2 reviews)

Great book for older siblings of preemies

My 7yo daughter received 3 books about being the sibling of a preemie, and although we enjoyed all three of them, this one was the best of the lot. Not only did it provide good information about the NICU experience, but it was well written and showed some creativity in the presentation that made it less of just a "topic book" and more of a pleasurable reading experience. Whereas the other titles were more sterile in their presentation, this one read more like the sort of good literature we are accustomed to at our house (we have a home library of over 3000 books). I loved the author's use of colors to describe the roller coaster of emotions one has during a NICU experience. She showed a real creativity in language that I found lacking in the other books we have on this subject:

"I stretch my hand out to touch Evan Early's tiny one. His dandelion stem fingers curl around mine."

If you are going to pick only one book for your child about having a preemie sibling, this is the one I would suggest. I liked this one so much that I purchased a second copy for my daughter to give to our NICU for the use of other children like her.
June 11, 2007

An outstanding picturebook for children ages 4 to 8

Evan Early is written by Rebecca Hogue Wojahn and features illustrations from Ned Gannon. An outstanding picturebook for children ages 4 to 8, Even Early is the story of a little girl, Natalie, and the pre-mature birth of her little brother Evan. A charming story of Natalie's patience, Evan Early offers children a remarkable insight and understanding of what being an older sibling really means. A prized addition to any school or community library picturebook collection, Evan Early is especially recommended to the attention of parents anticipating the birth of a little sibling for their older child who will no longer be an only child when their little sibling arrive.

August 13, 2006

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