Baby

Against the stunning backdrop of technologically innovative, large-scale photos, many from Lennart Nilsson's A Child Is Born , a straightforward text chronicles the development of human life, which ``begins with the fusion of two cells, the egg from the female and the sperm from the male.'' Reproduced on full spreads, the photographs--truly remarkable and finely detailed--document the formation of the embryo, its implantation in the uterus and a fetus's development; the text is overlaid in translucent insets. Taylor, a first-time author, then moves on to the three stages of birth and what happens during a baby's first moments. Although this book provides a sound explanation of an astonishing process, it should be noted that the final spreads are potentially confusing and unsettling to youngsters, who, after seeing photos of a healthy newborn, are presented again with images of a baby in utero, as the author offers a cursory discussion of how substances consumed by a pregnant woman can harm the fetus. Ages 7-up. (June)