In medieval England, a nameless, homeless girl is taken in by a sharp-tempered midwife, and in spite of obstacles and hardship, eventually gains the three things she most wants: a full belly, a contented heart, and a place in this world. Like Cushman's 1995 Newbery Honor Book, Catherine, Called Birdy, this novel is about a strong young woman in medieval England who finds her own way home. This is a world, like Chaucer's, that's - dangerous, primitive...

Follows the stages of pregnancy and childbirth in a matter-of-fact and comfortable way. An ideal book to help young children understand that the way a growing baby develops inside a woman's body, and how a baby is born, are both perfectly normal and wonderful.