Children's Book
Full Life Cube Publishing
May 19, 2016
E-book
25
Author
A heartwarming story of how an expectant mom assured her son of her unchanging love — during her pregnancy and after she gave birth to her new baby. Read how this mom’s assuring love inspired and enabled the little boy to bond with his younger sibling even while the baby was inside his mommy’s womb.
This children’s book is highly recommended for moms who are expecting another child or who gave birth to another child not so long ago. Aside from being a helpful tool for moms to assure their older kids that their love for them remains the same even with the coming of another baby, it also provides ideas on how the older sibling can help mom take care of the baby when the baby arrives.
This children’s book is a perfect companion for BREASTFEEDING: A Journey Worth Taking and perfect for breastfeeding moms who plan to do tandem breastfeeding/nursing after giving birth to their new baby.
I’m currently almost 7 months pregnant with my fourth child. For the past five years though, our son Ziggy was our baby. I know that although he’s excited with the prospect of being a big brother soon, he has some apprehensions too.
Ziggy is very close to me and since I work from home, he always sees me and does things with me. Hubby and I have already started preparing him for the transition since the moment we found out I was pregnant. We talk to him a lot about the baby. He has learned to talk to the baby, kiss my tummy and play with “pretend” babies using stuffed toys. But there are moments when he still says he doesn’t like the baby and doesn’t want to share me. Needless to say, just thinking of sharing me with the new baby is making him a bit jealous. And that’s exactly why I was so excited to have discovered Teresa Gumap-as Dumadag’s first children’s book, Mommy Loves You Just The Same. I was hoping the book will help ease Ziggy’s anxieties.
We were given the e-book version for this review, which I downloaded into my Ipad. Ziggy loves books but we usually get him the traditional books and not e-book versions. I’m partial to the printed versions although I have to admit having a copy of this book in my Ipad is convenient because I can sneak in some reading time with him even when were out of the house. I bring my Ipad with me everywhere I go anyway. I’d still love to have a printed version though and so I’m happy to find out that Full Life Cube Publishing will be coming out with one in the future.
Ziggy was so excited when I told him what the book was about. I suppose it’s because he could immediately relate to the topic, especially since the main character was a little boy too like him, who was also transitioning into being a big brother. The language used is very simple and can easily be understood by little kids.
The situations presented were also very familiar to both of us. The boy in the book does the same things Ziggy does for our little bun in the oven. I think this alone is already very helpful to him, knowing that he’s not alone in this journey and that there our other kids who are also becoming a big brother (or big sister) like him.
The colors used are vibrant, which is very attractive to kids. The illustrations by Jia Rubio-Monserrat are very cute too.
I love that the book is only 25 pages long, since some younger kids tend to get bored with books that seem to go on and on. I think the 25 pages is more than enough to bring the message across to the kids. I’ve been reading this book to Ziggy at least three times a week for the past three weeks now. Since then I’ve noticed that he has become more accepting of the situation. Sometimes, there are even moments when he does something, like sing to the baby, and he suddenly blurts out “I’m singing to the baby! Just like the boy in the book.” Last night, he even initiated a pretend play of him helping me take care of the new baby by carrying him and changing his diapers. This week, it’s also perfect as our read aloud book because one of our topics for our preschool homeschool sessions is about family.
So, do I think this book is effective? I definitely do! I can see us reading this book long after our baby is born. For only Php 150 (USD $3.00) per copy, it’s so worth it. You’ll also be happy to know that purchasing the book will give you access to free printable coloring pages for kids that will help reinforce the book’s message to them. There are even male and female child versions for these pages. Perfect for kids who love to color!
To learn more and purchase Mommy Loves You Just The Same, click here.
Wow, that’s a nice book review. I think its also a good way to teach children pag magkakaron na sila ng kapatid. So excited for you and Ziggy.