39. On the Day You Were Born

On the Day You Were Born by Debra Frasier

A story about everything that happens on the day you are born.

Mom's Review: Today was a day that being a mom was flat out damn hard. Without getting into specifics, I needed to read this book to remind myself about how miraculous life is. And to remind myself that she was once a helpless little (OK, not-so-little)person who looked up with large eyes and cooed and smiled. And screamed and squealed, and I didn't understand any of it... Wait. Nevermind. OK, this book romanticizes the joys of new life, but sometimes you need that especially when your daughter could beat the pants off of Meryl Streep in "Best Lead Actress in a Drama." Today was a day that had me gnawing at a cork because it was stuck in the bottle of wine. The illustrations are reminiscent of Matisse, which is cool and I like the story, albeit a bit "granola crunchy," still charming. And the last page always makes me want to cry:

"Welcome to the spinning world," the people sang,
as they washed your new, tiny hands.

"Welcome to the green Earth," the people sang,
as they wrapped your wet, slippery body.

And as they held you close
they whispered into your open, curving ear,
"We are so glad you've come!"

Daughter's Review: I'll tell you why I like this book. I like this book because it went around the world.