WHEN YOU LIVED IN MY BELLY

In this children’s picture book, a mother explains what her growing baby was doing during pregnancy, month to month.

For kids who are curious about what it was like to develop in utero, this book by blogger Darter helps answer their questions. Rhyming couplets explain the mother’s point of view and the baby’s monthly stages of development. In month three, for example, “My belly got bigger and harder to hide, / I was happy to tell people you were living inside. / You had arms, hands, fingers, feet, and toes, / You could even make your fists open and close.” The meter can be uneven and some rhymes are off (such as "formed" with "yawned"), but overall the verse is appealing and informative. Illustrators King and Camarra combine photos with pastel paintings outlined in black, decorated with hearts and flowers. The blonde white mother is always gently smiling, often with eyes downturned to her belly, cut away to show the developing baby. Perhaps understandably, Darter only hints at the discomforts of pregnancy and pain of childbirth. Instead, the focus is all on the joy of having a baby, with comforting messages for young readers, like, “I am so grateful you grew close to my heart, / And I always loved you right from the start.” Altogether, it’s a gentle, sweet introduction to the basics of fetal development and what pregnancy is like.

A reassuring book with kid-friendly explanations that celebrate the maternal bond.