Where You Came From

by Sara O'Leary, Julie Morstad (Illustrator)

Overview

Simply Read Books

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781894965460
Publisher:	Simply Read Books
Publication date:	06/01/2008
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	504,833
Product dimensions:	7.30(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Sara O'Leary is an author, playwright, and literary journalist. She is the author of the award-winning Henry Books, including Where You Came From, When You Were Small, and When I Was Small, as well as the picture book This is Sadie (Tundra). She teaches Writing for Children and Screenwriting at Concordia Universityin Montreal.

Julie Morstad is known for her surreal, whimsical work. Her books have garnered many accolades, including the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Picture Book Award, Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize at the BC Book Prizes, and First Prize at the Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design; they have been shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Children’s Illustration, Foreword Reviews’ Book of the Year Award, Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator’s Award, Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award (Picture Book Category), and Chocolate Lily Award (Picture Book Category). She lives in Vancouver, Canada.

Read an Excerpt

From Where You Came From by Sara O'Leary, with illustrations by Julie Morstad:

Henry is a boy who likes to ask questions.
Every day it’s something new.

Do one and one always make two? he asks.
And never something more?

But there is one particular question
he asks again and again.

Where did I come from? asks Henry.

Well, says his father.

It was so long ago now
that it is difficult to remember

I think that was the day
that the stork called in sick,
and a flock of crows
took over his deliveries.

No, says his mother.
Don’t you remember?

The fairies brought you.
It must have taken dozens
of them to lift you,
because they were so small
and you were so big.

No, says his father.
Don’t you remember?

We found you in a basket,
floating down the river.
We’d been out for a picnic
and it was the perfect end
to a perfect blue-sky day.
...

Editorial Reviews

PreS-K

"Where did I come from?" Henry asks. His parents answer his question with a series of playful stories. Adults will grin at the many references to common birth mythologies, such as a cabbage-patch baby, a wooden child come to life, and a mail delivery with no return address marked "handle with care." Whimsical pen-and-ink drawings with watercolor accents and a lovely minimalist design complement simple, poetic text. Regrettably, the facts are never quite revealed. Instead of giving him a frank answer, Henry's father tells him, "Your mother and I both dreamt you. And then you came true." This, accompanied by a small illustration of Henry's parents sleeping in bed, is the only suggestion of truth in this otherwise charming book. While this final segment may be suggestive of the underlying biology, it fails as a conclusion no matter how you see it. Children unfamiliar with the concept of sex may take the father's answer at face value, more savvy children may wonder why it's never explained outright, and adults who read it may wonder at the implication that innocent curiosity about one's origins shouldn't be rewarded with an honest answer.-Madeline Walton-Hadlock, San Jose Public Library, CA

School Library Journal