The Tummy Mummy

I like the pics and the story. Its a great way to conceptualize adoption in the earlier years. I dont care for the pic of the infertile couple "staring" into the empty cradle with loong looks on their faces. I think that one could be portrayed differently. I know that I felt very full of love and excited to welcome my girls into my life.

Disclaimer: I realize this book can't possibly cover all different scenarios but it does give a good start to make your toddler understand the concept and way an open adoption works and came about.So for the first time there is a book that somewhat fits open adoption and doesn't just accuse the birth mother of "giving away" her baby (I wished for you) and turning her back. I looked at quite a few books out there to cover a scenario where the birth mother (I deeply despise that term for a toddler and I don't like First mother at that age either) gave her baby, whom she loved deeply too, the life he/she deserved.And while you can now complain that toddlers associate tummy with tummy ache and food digestion (yeah there is a survey out there discussing that), I think it's a term a toddler can understand and it's a gentle introduction to it. Before finding this book we had agreed on Belly Mommy actually.Me and our Tummy Mummy just reviewed the book and we agree that it will work to build the basis of what we want our little one to know. That there was and is love. We both picked up on the lake, which we believe to be auto-biographic and being the Atlantic ocean but can symbolize other long or shorter distances too.I'm going to give it 5 stars because I was so glad to find a book that included "the other side" who in most other books is just mentioned in passing. And while that might be appropriate in some cases it didn't fit our situation at all.What I criticize: there is room for improvement on making it work for a boy (the story is about a girl) but you can always make it a little boy when you read it to them too, the illustration seems a bit somber and with dark colors, and I wished there was a continuation where Tummy Mummy returns at times to see her baby (but maybe there is or will be?). In the end your journey is what you make out of it and before finding this book we (mothers) planned on writing our own story to share with our little one.Lastly, I would like to thank Michelle Madrid-Branch for this wonderful book, 5 stars because yours is unique. I hope it was ok to share two pictures out of the book for the review.

It was a cute book but we returned it. This book, like most other adoption books, implies that the parents have infertility issues. It doesn't specifically say it but the adoptive parents are in their house waiting for the child to fill the empty crib that they have. I was told this was a good book for children adopted out of foster care but it just didn't fit our situation. We have 2 biological kids and our third is adopted out of foster care. I wouldn't recommend this book if your story doesn't include infertility.

My son is 3. The psychologist told us, the earlier we tell him the better it is. For me though, this book goes straight to the point. He started shouting and saying no mommy, I know, I came out of here, YOUR belly. So I preferred for now the book, "I wished for you", "You are my wish come true" by Marianne Richmond, also the one I was hesitant about turned out to be the best one, "Yes, I'm Adopted" by Sharlie Zinniger.As I was reading my son mentions, the characters are ugly. I think he meant they are rough looking, too dark.

Got this book to help show the love of our child birth mother. How they were adored, loved and cared for from the start. I know that is still all situations, but it was ours and so refreshing to have a visual bedtime story aside from their own to read.

"just okay.

Simple words to understand for my 3 1/2 yr old son. It does refer to baby girl but I change the story little. He after a month talks about himself in another tummy.my husband was adopted he shares his story , we read books, mention my cousins who adopted and he has a bear from agency so we talk about where it came from. Its not easy! I worry about him. I am in touch once a yr with birthmom, i send letter and picture book.now she contacted agency and wants to email.I think n its healthy for a child to know everything and know reasons why.as he grows he will learn more.

I bought this book for the daughter I placed in an open adoption. While it is not OUR story, it is a nice, gentle adoption story that portrays love for the child at all times. I know that no book written by another person is going to magically tell our exact story so this, in my opinion, happens to be the next best thing.

I guess I was expecting better artwork for a book that was expensive. I also bought it while sleepless so that may be part of it. I personally don't like it but others may indeed. :-/