Book Review: The First 56 Days of You
The First 56 Days of You: How Your Human Journey Begins is children’s book written by Brooke Stanton and Christiane West, illustrated by Francesca Rosa, and published by Mascot Books.
Why 56 days? Because that is the timeframe covered by the Carnegie Stages of human embryonic development. In this charming story, a school bus full of children arrive at a museum featuring a Carnegie stages exhibit. The children are well-illustrated and have diverse body types. The children interact with actual embryonic photographs, paired with age-appropriate explanations of the baby’s size and organ systems.
Abortion is not mentioned, nor should it be. In the science-based world of this book, the embryo’s humanity is a given:
A human life starts when two special cells—one from a female human being and one from a male human being—make contact and fuse together. The scientific name for this process is fertilization. Fertilization transforms two cells that are merely parts of other human beings into a new human being who is one cell big! Carnegie Stage 1 is fertilization—when YOU begin to exist as a new, whole, individual, and living human being.
The First 56 Days of You is secular, entertaining, and an excellent way to inoculate children against “clump of cells” propaganda. It joins a growing body of pro-life children’s literature, including Stanton and West’s first book, When You Became You. When You Became You is well-suited for preschool aged children, while The First 56 Days of You has a slightly older target audience. I hesitate to use the word “sequel,” because each book stands independently. However, if your child enjoyed When You Became You and wants to learn more, The First 56 Days of You is perfect.
