One of the many reasons my then friend, now husband, and I connected was on our views on adoption- both of us wanted heart babies some day. But we have had to put that dream on hold for now, due to various reasons. A couple of years back, when I was researching children’s books on this topic, I almost drew a blank, save for a handful of decent ones. Which is why this book makes me personally very happy.
In my Heart by Nandana Dev Sen and published by Penguin India tells the story of little Mia, who is a heart baby. She is a happy girl, and loves her family. She knows she came out of her parents’ heart. She also knows she is similar to her parents. They love a lot of similar things- dinosaurs, books and beaches to name some. One day, she meets her friend’s mom who has a baby in her tummy, and is intrigued. She has a lot of questions about her tummy mummy. Her parents agree to help her find her tummy mummy. What happens next forms the rest of the story.
Can I just say that I love how maturely, yet so simply that this subject has been handled? Although a children’s book, this book carries a lot of lessons for parents as well. Openness with your child and unconditional support for one. I loved how Mia and her parents had open lines of communication and treated her with respect and love, especially when she asked difficult questions.
The pencil watercolor illustrations by Ruchi Mhasane are so warm and complement the story beautifully. So beautifully, that even a 3 year old can easily comprehend the story.
I recommend this book for families that have or know heart babies. It is a great way to broach difficult topics. It is also a great way to get conversations rolling with the child. But mostly, it is an amazing way for the family to read together and confront their own fears and hopes.
But mostly, I recommend this book for tummy babies. It offers a lovely way to reminiscence about their infancy. This book is also fantastic to introduce children to different types of families. And the message that when someone is in your heart, it only grows bigger.
You can also use this book to have some fun yet enlightening conversations with the child. Some of the questions we have bonded over arose from the book- “What do we have in common?” , “Do we like same things? Does it matter?” , ” How happy do I make you?” “Do you want to count how many people love you?” , “What are some ways we show love?”, etc.
You can buy this book here. Even after the reading is done, the message that the child is loved lingers on.