6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Womb of One's Own, May 10, 2007
This review is from: Back into Mommy's Tummy (Hardcover)
'What do you want on your birthday,' asks Mommy of her 5-year old daughter. Sitting thoughtfully, the little girls answers, "I want to go back into you...It's cuddly and warm there. And I can float like a fish." It seems clear that she's been mulling this over this scenario, because she's figured out all the advantages of returning to the source:
"I'll never have to get up early for school again. ANd you'll think about me all day long." Mommy, calm and wise, responds easily, "I already think about you every day.
The daugher, however, has a very...fanciful image of a uterine home. Most advantageously, the (unnamed) girl keeps all of her 5-year old mental and physical capabilities. Her anatomical ideas aren't exactly correct either. Countering Mommy's argument that she'd get bored, she parries with, "I'll even watch TV through your belly button!" Illustrator Phillipe Goosens doesn't bother with realism either, instead going for warmth and atmosphere. The womb is a blue-green luminescent color pool, the pictures filled with fuzzy contours that look like cotton. Although Goosens uses oils, the slightly mottled textures resemble pastels or chalk. There's a great picture of the free-floaty girl (she's never attached to an umbilical cord, probably reflecting her current knowledge about such things) reaching happi;y for a giant strawberry ice cream cone inside her mommy. "...I'll think about it so hard that you'll want one too. Or a great big plate of spaghetti and meatballs. Yum!"
You gotta admit, this fantasy sounds like easy street, but a very illusory one. How does Robberecht handle the girl's cute but totally wrong ideas about what happens inside the uterus. The author's resolution is clever, empathic, and critical to the book's appeal. "Back into Mommy's Tummy" isn't really about physiology, pregnancy, sex, or anything else remotely so grown-up. Mommy figures the impetus for the fantasy when she comments that there's no independence inside the womb; wherever Mommy goes, daughter goes, and this might mean missing her friends' birthday party! As the girl ponders that, Mommy seizes the opening, and gets to the immediate reason for her daughter's fantastic voyage: The jealousy and threat engendered by an impending new baby in the family.
The girl, to her credit, is able to acknowledge these feelings: "He's so close to you. I'm afraid you'll love him more than you love me." Here, finally, we see a somewhat more realistic oil painting of her brother looking almost full-term, and attached to a vaguely drawn umbilical cord (the pictures are quite "child-friendly"). This new image signals that the girl is now ready to face reality as well as her feelings, helped immeasureably by her mother's reassurance of love. Of course, in true 5-year old egocenticity, the girl finds a reason to welcome her brother: "And I bet he's going to come out soon, so he can meet me."
Adapted from the Dutch book, "Het meisje dat terug in mama's bulk wilde" (and yes, I did have fun typing that) by Uitgeverij Clavis, "Mommy's Tummy" is a beautifully illustrated book that takes liberties with biology, but respects the emotions of children facing siblinghood. Anatomically incorrect, but psychologically adept, this is an excellent book for kids in similar situations, and for discussions about family life, emotion, and last (and least) as a very brief introduction to the "Where Do Babies Come From" issue. The book admirably shows that to deal with child's emotions and problems, one must first understand them from his or her point of view.
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2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great story for children and expectant mothers, December 11, 2005
This review is from: Back into Mommy's Tummy (Hardcover)
I received this book at the end of a college class when the class insisted that I take it because I was pregnant at the time. It is a sweet story about a young girl's wish to be back in her mommy's belly. She is afraid that maybe mommy doesn't think about her as much anymore because she is not always with her, and she dreams about what being back inside could be like. The pictures are adorable, and the storyline is full of humor, especially for an expectant mother going through the experience. This is a beautiful story that I will treasure forever. It is great for adults and kids alike.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
a new baby on the way GET THIS BOOK, February 19, 2007
This review is from: Back into Mommy's Tummy (Hardcover)
What a unique title! This was the first thought that came to my mind when I saw this book. The little girl in the story is turning 5. Her mom asks her what she wants for her birthday. She states that she would like to go back into her mom's tummy. As the story moves on we find out that she is jealous of the new baby that is growing inside her mom.
The pictures were fun to look at. The story moved at a fast pace as well.
We would recommend this book to families who are getting ready to have babies. This would make a great story to read and discuss with young children about the way they feel about having a new baby in the home.
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