The Pea That Was Me: An Embryo Donation Story

The main character in this book is a “pea” that tells us about his story. He first gives a very basic description of how a baby pea is made. Then he talks about how his mommy and daddy couldn’t make a baby pea, but the were helped by a doctor and some very nice people who gave his mommy one of their baby peas. That pea grew into the “pea that was me.”Buy it for:• a story that is appropriate for preschool-age children• the author’s ability to discuss a complex subject in simple terms• a story that reflects a trusting relationship between the pea and his parents• a page at the back of the book to write about your family’s own experienceThings to know before you purchase:• the story has some how-babies-are-made specifics; while it uses the terms eggs and sperm, the terms embryo and embryo donation never appear in the story; “tiny baby pea” is used as a metaphor for embryo• the story does not address whether the embryo donation was anonymous or open• the story does not have any religious themes---I bought four books on embryo donation so you don’t have to….My husband and I wanted to find a book that would help us talk to our child about embryo donation, so I searched Amazon. I found that the brief descriptions of these books did not help me determine which one(s) would be a good fit for our family. I decided to hedge my bets and purchase (and review) four different titles. They are:• Ready-Made Sweetie: All Mixed Up by Whitney Williams• Scarlett’s Story by Linda Stamm• The Pea That Was Me: An Embryo Donation Story by Kimberly Kluger-Bell• Chosen and Loved by Sharon KazmierczakI have posted reviews on each of them and tried to provide details that will help other families evaluate the books prior to purchase.

This is a great little picture book for 2 to 5 year olds on embryo donation. It covers the basics and is sweet and entertaining. My twin grandchildren, the results of embryo donation, really enjoyed this book at two and a half and still do at about three and a half. They have a basic understanding of the process and see it as a normal way to be born. My sister's adopted kids always knew they were adopted, and while they got interested in finding birth parents, it was natural curiosity and a crisis for no one. I have a friend who learned she was adopted as an adolescent. It was a great shock and she is still uncomfortable with that knowledge. In my opinion having knowledge of one's origins is healthy and comfortable. This is a great introduction for children born by embryo donation.

I love this book!! My daughter is 2 and I started reading it to her and it has become one of our favorite books. My daughter always points to the same pea every time and I tell her that this story is all about her!! Every time I read this book I tear up with happy tears....my dream came true!! Very short read with fun pictures to keep your Special Pea interested!! I would highly recommend this book!!

This book is a little too honest for our liking. It talks about the sperm that swims and the egg. I was hoping for a more subtle and child friendly book.

When going through the embryo adoption process we met with a psychologist (at the request of our doctor) to counsel us on how to talk to our kids about where they came from. She strongly encouraged us to have our children know their birth story from a young age, and she recommended this book. They're still far too young to understand, but hopefully this book will help explain things when the times comes.

Simple language, short story, but I'm hoping effective. My daughter is only 3 months old now, but we have read it often already. It helps us feel comfortable with what to say as she does start talking. It's cute and rhymes!

So embryos are peas (food we want a kid to eat) come from eggs (pictured as chicken eggs like the food many people eat) and sperm (no not worms-joke from book) and these pea embryos grow to be pea babies, which grow to be pea people. I really thought this was not going to be as confusing and ridiculous as it turned out to be. I had high hopes. We need a good embryo adoption book and this is not it. I am debating modifying the egg drawings and bad grammar and make it more inclusive for same sex couples and single mothers or else I may just return it.

Good addition to our vegetable family!

This book does a good job of talking about embryo adoption with the exception of the language around "donation". This is common language, but people cannot be donated and since the pea turns into a person, the best term is adoption.

My son loves this book, and the language it uses is pretty good.

This book is very clear and to the point, however it also has a personal element to it. There is a page at the back with a place for your baby's fertility doctor's information and pictures of you and your baby.