You guys, I am in love with the picture book I am sharing today! Abigail Halpin’s beautiful bohemian illustrations exude love and beauty on every page of Kate Hosford’s new book Mama’s Belly, and this gorgeous picture book is hitting shelves this week! I want to give a big thank you to Blue Slip Media for sharing a review copy with us in exchange for my honest review.
This book brought me back to the not-so-long-ago season when I was preparing for baby number 2 to arrive. I was trying my best to get Bonnie ready to embrace the idea of being a big sister, and still wrapping my mind around what it would mean to parent TWO little ones. At times while I was pregnant it felt like I couldn’t be the best version of myself as a parent because I was often SO TIRED. Bonnie was two years old, full of questions, and I wish this book had been around back then to help us walk through the big adjustments that come with a growing family.
In the book a little girl with big beautiful curls is waiting to meet her new baby sister growing in her mama’s tummy. She watches her mama’s belly “rising up, like a wave” and asks lots of questions like, “will she have freckles?” and “will I have to share my blanket?” She is patiently reassured that even though things will change when baby comes, there will be enough love and blankets to go around (since Mama is making the new baby her very own blanket).
What I like best about this book is that it is not just about preparing for the changes that will come once the new baby arrives, but it also helps paint a realistic picture of the changes that come even while mama is still pregnant. Pregnancy, if I’m being honest here, is HARD and for me was even HARDER the second time. In the book there is this perfect page where mama is too tired to play in the floor, and needs to rest. While mama naps, the little girl draws her a room full of pictures that put together, make a magic energy machine. There is also a scene where Papa is making dinner because mama’s belly is “making her grumpy.” “I haven’t seen my toes in weeks,” mama laments, so the little girl counts them all for her to let her know they are all still there. As mama helps alleviate her daughter’s anxieties about becoming a big sister, Papa and daughter find ways to take care of mama while she is pregnant – such a sweet picture of the ways a family moves with love for one another into a new season of life together.
Giveaway!
Little Extras:
16 Comments
This book looks amazing! I would share it with my sister who just had her first baby!
Id like to share it with my Jubi bc we hope to give her a sibling soonish 🙂
I would keep it and share it with all my future grandchildren.
I would share this book with my daughter as she prepares to become a big sister to a little sister soon!
I didn’t know a new little sister was on the way! That’s so exciting! Congrats.
Congratulations, you’re my winner! Let me know your address and I will have the publisher mail your copy out!!
I would share this with my nieces and nephews who are all getting new babies this year. I shared on twitter: https://twitter.com/dhammelef/status/986645759796924417
Thanks Danielle!
This book looks adorable!
What a cute book! I would read this book with my daughter.
Thanks to Becky and all of you for your enthusiasm and lovely comments. Abigail and I are very appreciative!
Aw, You’re welcome! Thanks for stopping by my blog and for writing such lovely books!
So sweet! I would love to read this book to my Kids’ Space kids, over and over again (because that’s what we do with books!) and help many of them as they adjust to new siblings (because we obviously have a sibling-making factory around the corner)!
Yes! Even if you don’t win the drawing, I’m going to send it to Kids’ Space with Bonnie, because there is a baby explosion happening 🙂
This looks wonderful! I would share it with the kids at the pre-school where I work. Lots of them are dealing with becoming a big sister or brother.
Fun! This would be a sweet gift to give a child when their mother is expecting!!