Contemplating Your Bellybutton

My 2-year-old loves this book! I love the birth scene, and especially the breastfeeding. It's hard to find good books that feature nursing, and my son was able to recognize another baby having "milkies." It's his favorite.

I got this book from the library when my son was two and I was expecting. He loved it! It gave him just enough information to satisfy him and the pictures were great too. I nursed my son and was planning to nurse the new baby too. The breastfeeding pictures helped him to know what to expect from the new baby. As he could still remember nursing, this book helped him to not be jealous of the new baby's need to nurse. I wonder if those who are offended by this book nursed their babies?

My two year old daughter *loves* this book - she'd have me read it 20 times a day if I were willing. This is a great book for explaining pregnancy and birth to a small child. I also love the fact that it portrays the mom giving birth in what appears to be an upright [squating perhaps] position - very nice. [You see mom's breasts, but nothing indiscreet or too graphic.] It also shows mom nursing the new baby, which is very nice as well. This is the best book on "where babies come from" for young children that I've found. Our whole family really enjoys it! [even after about 957 readings....] :)

I use this book to help foster/adopted children understand their connection to their their biological parents. The pictures and text are so concrete that children really " get it" in terms of where they "come from". Now I have many children referring to their biological mother as their bellybutton mother. This book is essesntial for adoptive families.

A little boy named Tettchan is embarassed by his funny-looking bellybutton and wonders what function it serves. He discovers that it was once was a cord that connected him to his mother before he was born. This simply written story discusses pregnancy, but not conception. There is a discreet illustration of Tettchan's mother giving birth---her breasts are visible, but not much else---and an explanation of how the umbilical cord was cut. Tettchan's mother then nurses him while his father watches lovingly. The author explains how the cord dries and falls off, and how each person's bellybutton is a memento of his or her birth. A very sweet little book.