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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Elizabeth Groening, Publicity & Marketing Assistant
egroening@penguinrandomhouse.com

SINCE THE BABY CAME
A Sibling’s Learning-to-Love Story in 16 Poems
By Kathleen Long Bostrom; Illustrated by Janet Samuel
A WaterBrook Hardcover | On Sale May 2, 2023

A Charming, Heartfelt Take on a Timeless Topic: Welcoming a New Baby to the Family

From the day a mother announces that there is a new baby growing in her belly, older siblings are bound to experience a wide array of emotions they might not yet understand or know how to express. In Since the Baby Came: A Sibling’s Learning-to-Love Story in 16 Poems (WaterBrook, 5/2/23) award-winning author Kathleen Long Bostrom explores these complex feelings in a story-in-verse writing style that is fun and easy to read.

Older brothers and sisters will find a source of comfort throughout these sixteen playful, heartfelt poems. Whether they connect with the main character’s initial confusion about their mother’s pregnancy, the overwhelming excitement on the day of the new baby’s birth, or the loneliness that comes when their parents are busy with diapers, it is important for older siblings to know that all their feelings about their family’s new smelly, wonderful bundle of joy are normal and okay.
 
Children will find reassurance in the power of prayer within these pages, as the child talks to God to cope with this major life change.

“Hi, dear God! Remember me?
I need a friend today.
When my thoughts are tangled up,
It helps a lot to pray.”

These calming, relatable verses will comfort young children, while also introducing them to the playfulness of various forms of poetry. The thoughtful verses are further enhanced by beautiful full-color illustrations by Janet Samuel, which amusingly capture moments of surprise and jealousy to tenderness and affection. For friends and family looking for the perfect baby shower gift, or parents looking for a source of solace for their older child, this new picture book is an ideal present that will comfort kids for years to come.
 
For more information visit waterbrookmultnomah.com.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathleen Long Bostrom is an award-winning author of over fifty books for children. Her books are published in over twenty languages. She is an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA) who now writes full time. As a middle child, Kathy was both the new baby and the older sister who later became a mother of three herself. She knows whereof she rhymes!

For more information, please visit kathleenlongbostrom.com.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Janet Samuel is an illustrator who lives in a small town in Wales with her daughter, Alice, and scruffy terrier, Tilly. Janet has illustrated books for many publishers, including Macmillan, Usbourne, Little Tiger Press, Scholastic, and Lion Hudson. She is happiest with a pencil or paintbrush in hand.

For more information, follow @janetsamuel_illustration on Instagram.

Juvenile Fiction - Religious - Christian - Family
May 2, 2023 / ISBN: 9780593577684 · Hardcover · $12.99/$17.99 Canada
e-Book ISBN: 9780593577691 · $7.99/$10.99 Canada

Suggested Interview Questions for Kathleen Long Bostrom
 
1. What inspired you to write Since the Baby Came?
 
2. As the middle child in your family, how did you feel when your younger sibling was born? Did you draw on those memories to write these poems?
 
3. As a mother of three, how did you help your older children adjust when you had another baby?
 
4. Why is it so important for older siblings to be able to identify and share their feelings during this life change? 
 
5. What message are you most excited for young readers take away from Since the Baby Came?

To schedule an interview or request a review copy, contact Elizabeth Groening at egroening@penguinrandomhouse.com.

 

Contact Publicist

Elizabeth Groening, egroening@penguinrandomhouse.com