Books About a New BabyFor the child becoming an older sibling.
Peter’s Chair, The New Small Person, and Hello in There! show different responses to a new sibling. There is room for excitement, annoyance, curiosity, or wanting to keep a chair. Read the story without asking your child to prove they are ready.
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3 picture books.
Read at your child’s pace.
3 books to read together
These books about a new baby include waiting during pregnancy and living with a younger sibling. The characters do not all respond in the same way. Choose a story that fits your family’s circumstances and your child’s interests.
Reading To Connect is for family reading: a caregiver and a child, reading one book together. We don’t set an age limit on that. We list the publisher’s suggested ages so you can see the range, but you know your child best. Choose the book that fits the child in front of you.
Tap a title to read more.
| Book | What the story includes | Ages (publisher) |
|---|---|---|
| Peter’s Chair | Old belongings going to the baby | 3 to 7 |
| The New Small Person | Sharing space and attention | 4 to 8 |
| Hello in There! | Waiting for a baby to arrive | 1 to 3 |
Peter’s Chair
Peter’s baby furniture is being painted for his new sister. He takes his blue chair and leaves with the dog before the chair is changed too.
Notice which belongings Peter wants to keep. His choice to share later in the story does not require your child to give up something important to them.
The New Small Person
Elmore Green likes having his things and his room to himself. A new sibling disrupts that arrangement. Their relationship changes over time, rather than starting with instant affection.
Look at what the younger child touches and what Elmore wants left alone. Take a wish for privacy or separate belongings seriously.
Hello in There!
A big sister talks to the baby growing in her mother’s belly. Lift-the-flap pages follow the wait before the baby is born. This story fits a family welcoming a baby through pregnancy.
Let your child explore the flaps and pictures. The sister’s excitement belongs to this character; your child is free to feel differently about the wait.
What to notice
Notice what the older child wants to keep: an object, time with a caregiver, or a space of their own.
Let the older child’s needs stay part of the story. A book about a baby is also a book about the child who was already there.
If your child is interested in practical details, stay there. Looking at where a baby sleeps is enough for one reading.
What not to do
- Do not ask for a promise to be a helpful big sibling.
- Do not use a character’s generosity to require sharing a treasured belonging.
- Do not insist that excitement is the only acceptable response.
- Do not make affection for the baby a condition for time with you.
What to say
Offer one comment and pause. Your child decides whether to answer, add something else, or keep reading.
“That chair matters to him.”
“They want some time with their parent too.”
Questions about reading together
Which book is about waiting during pregnancy?
Hello in There! follows a big sister waiting for the baby in her mother’s belly. Choose a different account if that does not match how your family is welcoming a child.
Which books allow mixed feelings after the baby arrives?
Peter’s Chair and The New Small Person include frustration about belongings, space, and attention. Let your child respond to those details in their own way.
Do we need to practice being a big sibling after reading?
No. Enjoy the book together. Practical preparation belongs in a separate activity that fits your child’s age and interest.
Who wrote this and how the books were chosen
Quinn Cummings, Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE-P), is the founder of Reading To Connect. She built The ENGAGE Method® to help caregivers notice and respond to their children while reading together. Read about Quinn and her work.
The selection includes waiting during pregnancy and adjusting to a younger sibling’s presence. Each title appears in the ENGAGE catalog supplied for this page.
Find guidance for the book you’re reading in ENGAGE
ENGAGE has book-specific guidance for reading together, with ideas for what to say and notice. Your child decides what to share, whether to answer, and when to turn the page.
Type in your book. See its information.
After you sign up, enter your book’s title. If it’s in the ENGAGE catalog, select it to see its information and book-specific guidance. Here’s an example with The Dot.
Try ENGAGE Tap a step to see the screen.01Type in your book
Enter the title in the search field, then select your book from the results.
02See your book’s information
Select the book to open its page. Use “About” to see information about the book.
03Find guidance for reading together
Open “Clues” and choose the age band that fits your child. Read the book-specific guidance and choose what fits your time together.
Sign up for ENGAGE to find guidance for reading a book together.
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