Review: When I Carried You in My Belly

Title: When I Carried You in My Belly
Author: Thrity Umrigar
Illustrator: Ziyue Chen
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Pages: 40
Availability: On shelves starting today
Review Copy: Final copy provided by publisher

Summary: The special bond between a mother and her child begins well before the baby is born. But once the baby is born and starts to grow into her own person, traits from both parents begin to show themselves in delightful and humorous ways. When I Carried You in My Belly is a mother's song to her growing daughter, capturing the warmth and magic of the time when her daughter was housed inside her belly. The girl's laugh, her love of music, her sweet disposition, and her carefree attitude can all be traced back to her time in her mother's tummy, when her mother would laugh, sing songs, eat yummy treats, and dance the day away.

Thrity Umrigar's lyrical and playful text are well complemented by Ziyue Chen's soft and delightful illustrations, and together they create a sentimental and insightful book about the special bond between parents and children. With a similar tone to On the Night You Were Born and the spirit of I Loved You Before You Were Born, When I Carried You in My Belly is primed to become a new timeless classic.

Review: I've read several of Thrity Umrigar's novels and was excited to see she has ventured into the world of picture books. This is a beautiful book in both illustration and text. The mother shares many wonderful experiences from her pregnancy that seem to be reflected in her child now. These are lovely connections between her parent's life before she was born and the person she is becoming. Grandparents even have an effect on the child's life with the grandpa baking and the grandma building a crib. There is much love and joy expressed throughout the book. I especially love the spread showing the expectant mother dancing. It's nearly impossible to keep from smiling. This is a book that would be delightful to share between parent and child that could lead to discussions of what may have influenced their own personality.

Recommendation: This is definitely a book that would work well as a gift for a family expecting a child or with a new child. It's also a great one to have available for young children to check out and take home. It's a book to inspire hugs, kisses and smiles.