The Book Blawg

A Ride on Mother's Back: A Day of Baby Carrying around the World, by Emery Bernhard

While I don't usually blog about children's books, this is one I checked out for me. A Ride on Mother's Back is a delightful book which shows babies being carried around the world. The only bad thing I can say about the book is that I wish it showed Western European/North American babies being carried. The modern ring sling, for example, is said to have been invented in 1981 by Brittish researcher Rayner Garner and his wife, while living in Hawaii. But on the last page (and in the icon on the map for North America) there is a photo in the background of a baby in a structured backpack-type carier. Also, although this book is titled "a ride on mother's back", nearly half of the examples show babies being worn by grandparents, fathers, sisters, etc. A must for the baby-wearing crowd, though.