Welcoming Triplets to the Family: A Unique Book from a Sibling's Perspective

The birth of multiples can have a tremendous impact on a family, and while there are many books available to help parents cope with the stress, changes and demands they'll face as parents to twins, triplets or more, there are very few books to help older siblings understand these changes. Fortunately, one of my fellow members of The Triplet Connection, an online support group for parents of triplets, recognized the need for a book that spoke directly to siblings of multiples. Author Lesa Rheton explains on her personal website (Angus and the Triplets) how she searched and searched trying to find a book that would explain the upcoming birth of her triplets to her older son who was not quite two years old yet. Lesa saw a need for a book that would explain the ups and downs and sheer craziness of life with triplets in simple words that her son and other young children could relate to and understand.

When Lesa's search for the perfect book left her empty-handed, she decided to take on the challenge herself and write a book to help young siblings understand the changes that come with adding triplets to a family. It didn't take much time to complete her perfect story called Angus and the Triplets. Appropriately, Lesa named the main character after her son, Angus, who provided the original inspiration for the book. The story depicts a day in the life of a family with triplets from Angus' perspective. Through a positive story and creative illustrations by Bobbi Switzer, Lesa introduces Angus to the fun and frustrations of life with triplets.

I have read positive reviews of Angus and the Triplets from many other members of The Triplet Connection who have used the book to successfully help their toddlers and young children understand the changes that triplets will bring prior to the birth. Additionally, the book is a wonderful tool for helping young children talk about their feelings and concerns after the babies come home from the hospital. It is very difficult for toddlers or young children to understand when one baby joins a family, but adding three at the same time is completely overwhelming. Suddenly, the child's parents are consumed with the constant needs of three infants. This kind of adjustment would be confusing for children of any age, but toddlers and very young children have a particularly difficult time understanding and adapting to the instantaneous, dramatic changes.

Angus and the Triplets is written from the perspective of a toddler with new triplet siblings, but the story could help brothers and sisters of twins, quadruplets or more as well. The concept of the story is the same regardless of the number of babies parents bring home from the hospital. The unique aspects of this story are its point-of-view (told through Angus' eyes) and the addition of more than one baby to the family unit. Angus and the Triplets is a great book for any family with multiple babies and older siblings. Not only will it help older siblings prepare for multiple babies to join the family, but it also helps develop communication and understanding between children and parents after the babies have arrived.