My Mum’s Having a Baby

I got my copies of the British version of My Mom’s Having a Baby (i.e. My MUM’S Having a Baby) yesterday. It was fun to page through and see the differences:

1) They chose a different font (I like the original better).
2) “Cozy,” “fertilized” and “practice” became “cosy,” “fertilised,” and “practise”). They also capitalized fallopian. And, of course, “labor” became “labour.” (I expected to see more “o” words get changed to “ou” words…but maybe I just didn’t use that many “o” words?)
3) I LOVE that the line “I think that’s a good way to eat broccoli…” became “I think that’s a brilliant way to eat broccoli!”
4) They dropped the word Doppler…they don’t define the “special instrument” at all
5) Instead of Grandma coming “all the way from Florida” to take care of Elizabeth when the baby is born, she comes “all the way from her house”. Couldn’t she have come all the way from Plymouth or Newcastle or Isle of Wight?
6) Elizabeth and Grandma make biscuits rather than cookies
7) I’m not thrilled that Grandma calls Elizabeth “Lizzie” in this version
8) Instead of shouting, “My water broke!” MUM shouts “My waters have broken!”
9) Almost didn’t notice this…but the spine of the Albert Whitman version lists author and illustrator’s last names only…but the British version says “D.H. Butler” and “Carol Thompson.” Carol IS British, so maybe that’s why she gets her full name and I only get my initials? I would’ve preferred Dori H. to D.H. (or just last names)…D.H. makes me think of D.H. Lawrence!

They kept the “but how do Dad’s sperm and your egg get together” part. (I’d have been disappointed if they didn’t…that’s what makes my book different from all the other “we’re expecting a baby” books out there.)

But for the most part, it’s the same book….and it’s my first “foreign” edition, so that’s exciting.