Vendor
	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Annelie Geissler
Categories
Children’s picture books

MOMMY LOVE

Susan Verde

A Mindfulness Exercise for Mothers and Babies

A beautiful meditation on new motherhood from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the I Am series, Susan Verde.

Mindfulness teacher Susan Verde has introduced millions of young readers to the idea of self-care. Now she has crafted a message of healing to be shared between new mothers and their babies as they read together.

Becoming a mother isn't always easy. There are tired days and tears, tests of patience and fears of getting it wrong. As mother and child read Mommy Love, the text provides the reader with the prompts of a mindfulness exercise. Mothers are guided to use their senses to help them bond with their babies, notice small details, and ground themselves in the present moment. There are words of encouragement and hope as Mommy and Baby begin their journey of love together.

Complete with an author's note, breathing exercises, a gratitude practice, and other resources, Mommy Love is a groundbreaking and heartwarming book that reassures all those who are experiencing motherhood that they are doing their best as they explore their important new role.

Susan Verde is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the I Am series, which includes I Am Human: A Book of Empathy, I Am Peace: A Book of Mindfulness, and many more. Before she was an author, she was an elementary school teacher and a yoga instructor. She lives in East Hampton, New York, with her three children and pets.

Naoko Stoop is the artist behind the New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book Red Knit Cap Girl and many other beloved books for children. She loves to create using found materials like plywood and brown paper bags. She lives in Brooklyn. You can visit her online at RedKnitCapGirl.com or on Instagram @NaokoStoop.

Available products
Book Published 2025-04-01 by Viking Children's Books

Comments

Not only is this a beautiful, realistic book on trying to learn how to be a mother, it also is good practice of mindfulness for mothers. The author talks about her own experience of post- partum depression (PPD) after the birth of her third child and the ways she was able to cope and recover. I also appreciate that Verde also acknowledges that PPD can happen to any kind of caregiver, not just cis-females. It's a beautiful book for new mothers, experienced mothers, and/or those who might be suffering from post-partum depression.

A lesson in mindfulness for new mommies (and their babies). While this may appear to be a typical picture book, it quickly becomes apparent that the primary target audience is not children, but parentsparticularly mothers of newborns. Mommy addresses her baby with words that read like soothing affirmations as she adjusts to parenthood. "There is a voice saying: /You should. / But I am discovering how to pause / and sit with what is and quiet that voice. / Making space to connect, / to be present, / to show you Mommy Love." Stoop's accompanying detailed, warm illustrations seem like a throwback to earlier works by Jane Dyer, or Betty Fraser's artwork for Mary Ann Hoberman's books. Stoop presents Mommy as slightly unkempt, with mussed wavy brown hair and dark circles under her eyes. Their brownstone home is cozy and well appointed; the illustrations show full laundry baskets, a sink stacked with dishes, and a bit of clutter aboutvisual reassurance for other parents struggling to stay on top of housework. In an author's note, Verde reveals that her own experience with postpartum depression motivated her to write this encouraging title, which should provide solace to new mothers. Words of wisdom for harried parentsthis one will make an ideal baby shower gift.

Amid "tired and tears," a new mother sits next to a sleeping newborn, a cup of tea in her hands: "I am discovering how to pause/ and sit with what is." Across this serene meditation on caretaking, Verde sets the stage for actions that nurture parent as well as child, modeling self-talk and other practices that might help smooth first weeks and months: "I can be easy on me/ and show you how to be/ easy on you." Digitally finished multimedia paintings by Stoop show mother and child in a warm city apartment that aptly presents the chaos of early days with an infantheaping laundry, a sink filled with dishes. As well as caring for the child, the new mother seeks community with others "who also are called Mommy and Baby." And as the baby matures, the mother grows into the role, the name "wrapping us both in love." An author's note concludes.