Mummy Laid an Egg - Babette Cole

My eldest son found this book this afternoon on my mother's bookshelf and asked her to read it. Being the doting grandmother that she is she agreed, however she hadn't actually read this before and didn't know what it was about! Fortunately three year olds have a short attention span so I don't think he listened to all of it and I hope he wasn't paying too much attention to the illustrations, but it's amazing what they take in and Daddy may be in for some interesting questions when he gets home from work! ~~~Mummy Laid An Egg, by Babette Cole~~~ The Blurb "Mum and Dad decide it's time their children knew the facts of life, but what they ...  Read the complete review

"How are babies made?". This is the question that we are all very likely to hear from our little ones at some point. A question many of us are not too keen to answer with the full truth. I am guilty of bluffing over the actual details and just saying "mummy's tummy", which is often not a good enough response. The extended questions of "why" and "how" can commonly follow. Mummy Laid an Egg is a fun children's picture book which helps explain how babies are made. The book starts with an amusing family scene. The two kids are slouching on the sofa, eating junk, watching television, surrounded by their numerous pets. Mum ...  Read the complete review

Having taught for over 15 years, I decided that I wanted my two sons (now 14 and 16 and armed with the facts) to understand the basics of the facts of life, or at the very least, allow some of the giggly toilet humour to take its rightful place. In the toilet? Impossible, with 2 young boys. So, armed with a certain amount of knowledge as to what I wanted, I talked to health professionals and teachers and found this book...Mummy Laid An Egg. And what a book! Sold over a million copies and no surpprise there!! From the start, it took away the embarrassment. The "story" "Right", said mum and dad. "We ...  Read the complete review

I stumbled across this book during my BA in English Literature as part of a course in childrens' education literature, and I was extremely impressed. Most books that are supposed to teach children the facts of life are not fun - this one is hilarious. My own parents chose a book very similar to this during my childhood, which was about all bodily functions with a tiny, glossed over section on sexual reproduction. At an early age (from around four or five as I was reading confidently pre-school) I had a very good idea of how my stomach/lungs/brain worked, but a very limited understanding of reproduction. I don't understand why this subject should be any ...  Read the complete review

A lot has been written about this book in the media lately. It has been said that some parents want it banned, others think it is okay... Well I first saw it in my child's school library when I was taking part in a Parenting course. I had a good look at it and was very impressed. It deals with sexual reproduction in a straight-forward way which, in my opinion does not seem scarey. I do not agree with the people who think this is suitable for children as young as 5 but by the time they reach 7 or 8 it can be introduced to them. Let's face it - explaining the facts of life to a small child is never easy, but with so many children seeing their ...  Read the complete review