In this case, however, I wanted to create the feeling of, well, not a lullaby exactly, but something of a lyrical text. In most of my story told through poetry, I write a series of individual poems, woven together by plot or theme. Soon, Bryan would have his very own personal frame of reference to guide him as he worked on the paintings for Welcome Precious! As it happened, right about the time he signed the contract, he had just learned that he and his lovely wife, Christine, were about to have their first child. I was so excited when Bryan agreed to be the illustrator. Of course, if you’re going to feature a black baby in a book, who better to bring on board than artist Bryan Collier? Rather, this was intended as a book celebrating the sensory experiences of all babies. That idea was important to me because I was not crafting a book specifically for black babies, although obviously women of color would find it especially appealing. After all, every newborn that comes into the world, without respect of race, culture, or gender, is precious. Once that was decided, I needed a name for my book’s baby, and Precious sprung to mind. Soon thereafter, I was asking myself, “Well, if I were to write a new baby book, what would my focus be?” I mulled that one over (for days? for weeks?), then hit upon an idea that held some appeal: I could write a text welcoming a newborn into the world of sensory delights. In no time, I found myself thinking about nursery rhymes, and lullabies, and goodnight books. Like seeds, once planted, they tend to grow and take root. Years earlier, I’d done one for Essence Magazine. I had exactly zero interest in writing another baby book. One day, someone-I don’t remember who-said “You should write a baby book.” I snickered. Where do ideas come from? It’s not always easy to say.
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