Our friends Brooke Stanton and Christiane West at Contend Projects have co-authored a children’s book about the continuum of human life. It’s called When You Became You and the hardcover book has beautiful illustrations (starting on the very front cover) to go along with the factual, age-appropriate information on when a human life begins.

You don’t have to be an adult to understand the simple facts of when a new human organism begins to exist, as this children’s book portrays. The science of human embryology is coupled with the illustrations to help children understand how very special and unique they are, walking them through the various developmental stages of a human’s life. The book explains to kids,

“This picture book is a celebration of your humanity and your human development—one of the most extraordinary phenomena in all of science and nature….Your boundless capacity as a human being began when you did—even before you were born—and persists for the duration.

When You Became You went on sale November 10, 2020, and is available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Books-A-Million. Brooke Stanton, one of the co-authors, commented on the importance of the truth concerning human life being taught even at a young age:

“As you know, unless we specifically teach our children the science—that they are the same, whole, individual, living human being at every stage of their human development—we cannot bring about a cultural change with regards to human life and respect for human dignity.”

Advanced reviews of the book have been positive, too.

“Knowing when our lives begin is vitally important, so much so that it should be among the first things we teach our kids. Therefore When You Became You should be among the very first titles every family includes in their children’s book library, ” said New York Times bestselling author of Bonhoeffer and Miracles, Eric Metaxas

This book would make a great Christmas gift or birthday present for a child who loves to read or be read to, or for a parent who reads to their young kids. If you order it and read it, be sure to let people know what you think on social media or by leaving a review online.

Cultural change has to start somewhere, and there are many ways to enact it — books can be powerful influences on both individuals and society at large. Teaching our children the facts about when a human life starts is a great way to encourage respect for all humans at all ages of development.

Learn more and order today by clicking HERE.

Website | + posts

I love science and teaching. I am passionate about using those interests to speak for those who can't.

The views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Human Defense Initiative.