When I Carried You in My Belly - by Thrity Umrigar & Ziyue Chen (Hardcover)

About the Book

A young mother explains to her daughter how her laughter, her love of music, her sweet disposition, and her caring spirit were shaped by the time she spent in her mother's tummy.

Book Synopsis

Love Your Forever meets On the Night You Were Born in this heartwarming picture book about a mother's love for her child.

The special bond between a mother and her child begins well before the baby is born. But once the baby is born and starts to grow into her own person, traits from both parents begin to show themselves in delightful and humorous ways. When I Carried You in My Belly is a mother's song to her growing daughter, capturing the warmth and magic of the time when her daughter was housed inside her belly. The girl's laugh, her love of music, her sweet disposition, and her carefree attitude can all be traced back to her time in her mother's tummy, when her mother would laugh, sing songs, eat yummy treats, and dance the day away.

Thrity Umrigar's lyrical and playful text are well complemented by Ziyue Chen's soft and delightful illustrations, and together they create a sentimental and insightful book about the special bond between parents and children. With a similar tone to On the Night You Were Born and the spirit of I Loved You Before You Were Born, When I Carried You in My Belly is primed to become a new timeless classic.

Review Quotes

"[W]ill strike a chord with both new mothers and children, who love to hear about their beginnings. The ending spreads tug heartstrings.... Umrigar's flights of fancy may lead parents and children to ponder their own specific traits and what might have led to them."--Kirkus Reviews

"A warm and lovely bedtime poem."
--Dav Pilkey, Caldecott Honor Award-winning creator of The Paperboy

"Umrigar's story celebrates a mother's love, her daughter's individuality, and the contributions of extended family."---Publishers Weekly

About The Author

Thrity Umrigar is the author of the bestseller The Space Between Us and its recently released sequel, The Secrets Between Us, as well as many other acclaimed novels. Her debut picture book, When I Carried You in My Belly, was published with RP Kids in 2017. She lives outside Cleveland, OH.

Ziyue Chen grew up in sunny Singapore and graduated from Ringling College of Art and Design with a BFA in illustration. Her work has been recognized in the 3x3 Picture Book Show (2014), SCBWI's SI Scholarship (2013), the Society of Illustrators' Student Scholarship Show (2013), and Creative Quarterly (2012). When she's not creating art, Ziyue enjoys teaching art, swimming, and spending time with loved ones.