We love the way that My Brother is an Avocado looks at how a baby grows during pregnancy. Using fruit and vegetables as a comparison to the baby’s size they also help to show the child’s differing emotions as the pregnancy progresses.
The Story: A child listens as Dad explains that their new baby brother is the size of a teeny-tiny poppy seed. As the pregnancy proceeds various fruit and vegetables are used to help the child visualise the size of their new baby brother as he grows. At the end the baby is compared to a watermelon. But after the watermelon comes an unexpected surprise…
Despite the simplicity of the text there are so many layers to this story. Using fruit and vegetables as a comparison to the new baby is incredibly clever as many of their attributes can be attributed to the baby, for example onions – crying, sprouts – smelly, avocados – wrinkled. They also help convey the child’s differing emotions about the baby’s arrival and help them to share worries, hopes and plans as they wait.
The child’s sex isn’t specified in the text and allows the reader to make their own judgements about their gender. As each different fruit or vegetable is introduced we learn more about the child and their thoughts and questions about how life will be when the baby arrives – what will be their favourite drink? What they will do together in the garden? At Halloween?
We are huge fans of Yasmin’s fabulous illustrations which stand out on predominantly white backgrounds. A diverse cast of characters are included in situations that will be familiar to a small child – a school music lesson, the garden and a football match.
My Brother is an Avocado is a fantastic book to help children visualise the size of a baby as it grows in the womb. It can be used to answer questions and stimulate conversations about pregnancy and the emotions that a child may be going through as they try to come to terms with a new family situation.
Age Range: 3 +
Author: Tracy Darnton / Illustrator: Yasmeen Ismail
Thank you to Simon and Schuster for sending a review copy of this brilliant book.
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