Mommy's Heart Went POP! [Hardcover]

Christina Kyllonen (Author), Peter Greer (Author), Jeff Brown (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 25, 2012

International adoptions have steadily increased over the past decade, yet there is a surprising lack of resources to introduce the beauty of adoption to children. Adopted children want to know their story. Siblings want to know what to expect. Parents want to know how to convey the deep love they feel. Mommy's Heart Went POP! is a children's book that brings the beauty of international adoption to the entire family through a simple story of love for a child. It includes rich illustrations depicting a universal journey and resources for families exploring their own adoption journey.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The special love of an adoptive parent provides an opportunity for an exceptional kind of story. Mommy's Heart Went POP! is just such a tale...It is a book that will touch your heart with the love and care that all children so richly deserve. ----Wess Stafford, President and CEO, Compassion International



With lyrical grace and poignant simplicity, Mommy's Heart Went POP! captures the tender love at the heart of adoption. It comes as a gift to all who have been touched by adoption children and parents, relatives and friends. ----Jedd Medefind, President Christian Alliance for Orphans

About the Author

Christina Kyllonen is a co-founder of 4-more, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that partners with Rwandan communities to develop sustainable clean water, sanitation and health initiatives. 4-more also provides adoption support through the rubymyles fund. Christina and her husband, Chad, have four children and live in Elizabethtown, PA. Peter Greer is the president of HOPE International, a Christ-centered organization combatting extreme poverty in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Eastern Europe. He is co-author of The Poor Will Be Glad. Peter and his wife, Laurel, have three children and regularly share their adoption story. They live in Lancaster, PA. Jeff Brown is a full time designer for HOPE International and a freelance designer. He lives with his wife, Allison, and their two children in Lancaster, PA.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: 4-more; 1st edition (May 25, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1937498069
• ISBN-13: 978-1937498061
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,548 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Peter Greer is President of HOPE International, a global non-profit organization focused on alleviating both physical and spiritual poverty through microenterprise development. Peter also co-founded the Hope Global Investment Fund and serves as its executive director.

Peter was formerly employed by World Relief, serving as a microfinance advisor in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and director of URWEGO Community Banking in Rwanda.

Peter received his undergraduate education in International Business from Messiah College, completed a Master's Degree in Public Policy from Harvard's Kennedy School and participated in executive education at Harvard Business School.

Peter resides in Lancaster, Pennsylvania with his wife, Laurel, and three children.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars an expectant heart May 19, 2012

By A. McLennan

Format:Hardcover

As a mother who has endured the months and years of waiting for my adopted child, I adore this book's portrayal of a mommy's expectant heart. I've been there: combing hair, kissing boo-boos, singing lullabies, all while dreaming of a baby on the other side of the world with eyes the color of chocolate. I love that I will be able to read this book to my daughter and she will understand that I thought about her constantly and my heart literally ached for her long before I saw her face or even knew her name. There is such a need for books like this, children's books about adoption that feature real people (instead of animals) and portray biracial adoption. This is the only children's adoption story I've found that features an African child, and how beautiful it is. I hope this is the first of many great children's books about African adoption!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Adoption Story! May 6, 2012

By Kelly

Format:Hardcover

I was so pleased to see that FINALLY there is a children's book now available about international adoptions! This book conveys amazingly the love that an adoptive mom has for her child. I will be reading this book to my children for years. This is a MUST OWN childrens book for all families- whether or not they have adoptive children!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Powerful Message May 5, 2012

By Jason Reese

Format:Hardcover

A touching reminder that love--across distance, culture and political boundaries--unites us all. One family's example of what they've done to spread this rare commodity from Pennsylvania to Rwanda--and a vivid example of the power we each have to make a difference in the lives of others. Well written and beautifully illustrated.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Prose, Beautiful Images June 12, 2012

By Jedd Medefind

Format:Hardcover

"Mommy's Heart Went Pop!" brings together vibrant, compelling images with equally lovely prose to convey the tenderness that is at the heart of adoption. It's a gift to both parents and children.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book about international adoption for ALL ages! June 4, 2012

By Beverly A. Barbee

Format:Hardcover

Mommy's Heart Went POP! takes the reader on a heartwarming trip from the home of a family preparing for the exciting addition of a baby who the mommy says is "growing in her heart, not in her belly" - all the way to the beautiful "land of rolling hills, hot sun and mosquito nets". The words read like the lyrics of a lullabye, the illustrations are captivating, and the spirit of the book is awe-inspiring. What a superb introduction to children and their parents - or parents-to-be - of international adoption. And to think that every cent of 'profit' will go to the resources listed in the Afterword. WOW.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful story May 28, 2012

By W. Christopher Horst

Format:Hardcover

POP! is a beautiful story. Beautiful in the way it conveys the redemptive message of adoption and beautiful in the way the message is illustrated. The perfect gift for a family who has started their adoption journey.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally...A Beautifully Written Story About Adoption May 23, 2012

By KPETE

Format:Hardcover

A year ago, I went to the bookstore to find a children's book about adoption for a friend who was in the process of adopting a child from Ethiopia. I looked through every title in the entire book store and found not a single book on the subject. Even more depressing to me was that I could not find a book with a dark-skinned child on its cover.

Enter Mommy's Heart Went Pop! I was so excited to be given a copy of this book. We are in the process of adopting a little girl from Ethiopia ourselves and reading this book to my other children made it so understandable and real to them. They loved the lilting tone to the words and seeing the airplane fly through the sky. When the mother held her little boy for the first time, they clapped excitedly. This book has easily become the favorite book in our house replacing Pinkalicious and Fancy Nancy. My children LOVE looking for the hidden hearts in each illustration and ask to read it over and over.

I am so thankful that this book arrived on my doorstep before our daughter is home. What I love most is that I will have a story to read to her that will convey the depth of my love and desire for her. I plan to read it to her every night until it is engrained in her little memory.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely beautiful!! May 9, 2012

By ALW

Format:Hardcover

A mother's love for her child as she longingly waits to hold him in her arms is so vividly captured through the beautifully written story and stunning illustrations. I am so honored to have this book in our family's library as it is an important and special story that I want to be able to share for years to come, in hopes that the beauty and redemptive story of adoption will touch and transform the readers' heart in the same way that I have seen adoption touch and transform my family.