There are a lot of books out there for children who are expecting a younger sibling, but I found Pecan Pie Baby by Jacqueline Woodson to be unique. Woodson, who won the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for younger readers, addresses the normal issues of anticipation and resentment in the main character, Gia. Gia remembers the time she spent with her mother and resents the fact that all her relatives and even her school friends can talk about is that "ding dang baby." She even worries that the baby will have to sleep in her sleepover friend's bed. The mother is careful to include Gia in baby preparations, even refusing babysitting help because "Me and the baby need Gia with us." She also regularly invites Gia to share a piece of pecan pie with her and the baby, because the baby loves pecan pie. When Gia misses the "good old days," her mother reminds her that she'll have to share those stories with the new baby. The story uses the seasons to count down the time until the baby's birth, beginning with the leaves still green on the trees, and the mother saying that the baby would arrive about the time the first snow fell. Gia then hopes that winter would come and go without any snow falling. As the book progresses, Gia notices the weather getting colder and leaves falling off the trees. I've enjoyed other work by Woodson, particularly Peace, Locomotion, and I especially enjoyed her version of this old theme.
Pocketful of Posies by Salley Mavor is a book of traditional nursery rhymes, with illustrations hand-sewn on fabric relief collages. She uses needlepoint, applique, and various objects such as buttons and shells to illustrate familiar rhymes such as "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe", "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and "Simple Simon." "Hickety, pickety, my black hen" appears to use wood and straw for the next, and "Pease-porridge hot" has what appears to be real doll spoons. This book is well worth viewing simply for the illustrations.
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