• Age: 4 to 8
• Grade: p to 3

For fans of Dear Girl and Guess How Much I Love You, this picture book celebrates the joys of early childhood and all the first-time experiences that are exciting for parents and children, including beach days, befriending the family dog, story time on the couch, and so much more!

This book feels like a giant hug and makes the ideal gift for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, graduation, and baby showers! The sweet lyrical text reminds readers that their parents’ love will always stay with them, no matter where they are.

When you were new, there were things you didn’t know.

The magic of being new is experiencing the world for the first time, learning that cuddles smell different at the beach—like coconut, salt, and sand—or realizing it’s hard to pick raspberries without eating at least one. Get swept up in the magic and wonder of seeing the world through the eyes of a child, and treasure the perfect, golden moments you share together.

Jennifer Harris’s lyrical and achingly precise text and Lenny Wen’s heartwarming illustrations celebrate that special love and connection between you and your new one.

Jennifer Harris lives in Waterloo, Ontario with her husband and children, in a little storybook house. Despite the overloaded shelves, they all firmly believe there’s always room for one more book. When You Were New is Jennifer’s second picture book, after She Stitched the Stars: A Story of Ellen Harding Baker’s Solar System Quilt. She’s also a published poet and the author of numerous essays. When not writing or reading—or thinking about chocolate—Jennifer teaches English at the University of Waterloo. You can visit her at www.mypbjam.com.

Jennifer Harris' profile page

Lenny Wen is an author-illustrator who was born in Indonesia. She is the illustrator of several picture books, including Cal Everett’s Halloween Is Coming! and Margaret Aitken’s Old Friends. When she is not illustrating or writing, you might find her staring at the trees, doodling hundreds of bears in her sketchbook, filling up her cup with coffee, or hugging her dog. Lenny was born and raised in Indonesia and currently lives in the countryside of Austria, surrounded by nature and a castle. You can visit her at lennywen.com.

Lenny Wen's profile page