Book Review: “When You Became You”

When You Became You is a beautifully illustrated children’s book by Brooke Stanton and Christiane West. The authors are affiliated with Contend Projects, “a secular, nonpartisan, science education nonprofit with the mission to spread accurate information and awareness about the biological science of human embryology and when a human being begins to exist.” 

Secular Pro-Life president Kelsey Hazzard poses with a copy of When You Became You

I’m pleased to report that When You Became You lives up to this promise. It is 100% secular and scientifically accurate. Young readers will learn that all humans are human, and that it does not matter “what you look like, where you are from, how old you are, how young you are, if you can talk, if you can walk, if you can dance, or even if you aren’t born yet.” They will also learn the scientific terms “embryo” and “fetus” and how those words are used to describe human beings before they are born. These core concepts are an incredibly valuable way to inoculate children against pro-abortion propaganda; however, the text does not refer to abortion or anything else that might upset a child. 

I do have one quibble with When You Became You, which is that it doesn’t directly answer the question implied by the title. The only reference to the moment of fertilization is a blurb on the back cover. I was expecting an explanation of conception, even if it required childlike language like “a teeny tiny bit from Mom called an egg and a teeny tiny bit from Dad called a sperm.” Perhaps the authors wanted to avoid their work being pigeon-holed as yet another sex education book for kids, which is fair enough. That said, there are some lovely watercolor images of very early life that parents could use to embark on a more detailed conversation. 

When You Became You is a great addition to the small but growing canon of pro-life children’s literature. It officially releases on November 10 and is available for purchase at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Books-A-Million.