#BabyLove
My Toddler Life
Author & Illustrator: Corine DehghanpishehCategory: Illustrated Children's Book
Suitable for: All Ages
My Rating: 4
Stars
Format Read for Review: Kindle copy provided by
the publisher/author/agent in return for an honest review.
Pages: 40
Description: Mommy and son have a big day of fun planned
together, fun that will be captured by the mom on her smart phone. She posts
their pictures on social media as they play. But then when he's alone he finds
mommy's phone and plays with it just like mommy. She catches him and he drops
the phone! This becomes a learning experience for both mother and son. He
learns phones are not toys. She learns that time flies, cherish the time you
have with your family, and put down your phone from time to time.
In Short: This is an illustrated children's book that will
appeal to parents who love social media. Mommy Bloggers and their kids will be
able to relate to this book and will love it and the beautiful illustrations.
It is a feel-good family story.
Pros: First of
all the art is fantastic. It's attractive and colorful and will be greatly
enjoyed by children. The book is also very well written with fun rhymes that
flowed wonderfully. As I read the story the first half felt weird and
disturbing how you were seeing the child only from the phone's point of view,
this made me feel like the mother was glued to her phone and not interacting
with her son. As the story moves along I realize this isn't exactly the case. Instead
I felt those were just the moments that she took pictures of to capture the
memory. Mother and son look through their pictures on her phone and she tells
him "These moments with you, I love and treasure." I think that, that
statement really expresses the big theme of the book. It is a really adorable
story about a mother and child that are spending the day together doing an
arrangement of fun things. One subtle lesson kids could take from this story is
that phones are not toys. It was very cute though how he was trying to be like
his mommy taking selfies, and pics of the dog when he found her phone.
Cons: The story
does lack some depth and blatant lessons for kids. The best lesson from this book is
more for the parents than the child, which is: put down your phone! The phone didn't get put down until the very last page, would have liked to have seen that happen sooner. I'm not
sure how interested children will be in the plot of this story if they are not
very familiar with selfies. I don't know if toddlers will understand the
reference of #mommyandme getting 36 likes, but this type of story would appeal
to a #socialmediafamily who are #smartphonesavvy. Speaking of smart phones, I
read this book on both my iPad and my android phone and I have to say it
displayed beautifully on my iPad but the images were a bit small on my phone.
If you are interested in this book you may also be interested in another book with a similar theme that I reviewed here: Put Away Your Phone.
Other Reviews:
#BabyLove: My Toddler Life is the
second book in Corine’s #BabyLove Book Series. The first book
in the series, #BabyLove:
My Social Life, won the Next Generation Indie Book Award for
Picture Books 0-5.
In #BabyLove: My Toddler Life, a curious toddler
loves to play… especially with his mommy’s smartphone!
When Mommy finds him using her phone without permission,
it’s the perfect teaching moment. Mommy reminds her little one that what
matters most in life is time together filled with love and attention.
Her simple reminder: Put down our phones.
Praise:
“This light-hearted reflection on social media habits is
a great tool for starting discussions with young children.” – 5 Stars, Foreword
Reviews
“#BabyLove: My Toddler Life is a fun and timely
picture book for 21st century preschoolers.” – BlueInk
Review
“The lyrical way in which the story is told keeps the
subject light while reminding the audience (adults and children alike) the
importance of play time over screen time.” – Eileen Caulfield
“With simple rhyming phrases and the author’s enticing
illustrations, the volume should surely appeal to young readers, who have
almost certainly been told not to play with a parent’s phone. But the book
works on another level as well: the boy teaches his mother a valuable lesson
about mindfulness. After perusing the old photos, she tells her son: “These
moments with you, / I love and treasure.” This stirring story reminds busy
parents that even though those photos they take show how much they love their
children, there’s joy and wonder in leaving the technology behind. This
poignant and entertaining tale about a playful toddler aimed at young lap
readers works on a much deeper level for parents.” - Kirkus
About the Author:
Corine’s inspirations for writing and illustrating come
from everyday life. When she is not busy being creative, she is most
likely having fun taking pictures of her family.
Corine is a Mom’s Choice Awards® Silver Recipient and a Next
Generation Indie Author Finalist for her debut children’s book Can We Play Again?. Her
inspiration for this book came from her work as a Licensed Creative Arts
Therapist in NYC. She is also the author of Buddy’s
Dream.
Corine recently moved to Dallas, TX from NYC with her
family. Readers can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.
To learn more, go to BooksByCorineD.com
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