#Baby Love : My Toddler Life

Written & illustrated by Corine Dehghanpisheh
Published by My Art to Inspire 2016
Free copy provided by the author & Book Publicity Services in exchange for an honest review.

  ©Missus B's Picture Book Reviews
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Back of book: 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. 

"Today Mommy and
 I have lots to do,
Like counting, colouring
And painting too...
Reading books,
Playing with toys
Learning new words,
And making noise!"


Sounds like a typical busy toddler! In the illustrations we see a happy little man splatting with paint, leafing through his books and noisily playing with his drum set. Mommy is missing though. She's not there for the play and exploration, instead she's busy capturing all of these moments on her phone. 

While the text says "We record our fun for friends to see" it's not until Mommy decides to take a selfie that she and her son spend a few moments together. Up until then, Mommy has been observing the play instead of joining in.This proud and doting parent has snapped and recorded all of her son's busy activities and while he is playing with his toys, Mommy is right there playing with her phone. 

So, this little toddler can't be blamed for thinking of Mommy's phone as a play item. Later, when she' s out of sight, he decides to investigate & take a few selfies. Needles to say, Mommy is not impressed when she discovers this & finds her phone on the floor.

Even when scolding her son for playing with the phone,
Mommy decides to capture his sorry face in a photograph!

Mother and son then sit down together looking at the selfies and all the other videos and photographs Mommy has saved as treasured moments. We see the little boy as a baby sitting in his highchair & crawling on a mat, fun in the playground and a trip to the zoo. 

Mommy realizes that time is passing quickly and while her saved images are special, her little boy is growing up fast! With this, mother and son share a hug, Mommy's phone is set aside and both begin to play together.

As you can see from the photos, my little moomin really enjoyed this book. The illustrations are rich and colourful and the round faced characters have big eyes and expressive faces. He was able to recognise all the activities within the pictures, describing the little boy with his books, building blocks, painting & playing music. There's also a cute pet dog in many of the pages- he gets some paint splatted on his ears, raises his paw for a photo and even looks sad when his toddler friend is being scolded for playing with Mommy's phone. My son enjoyed this doggy character, commenting on his activity through the story.

The story makes for a lovely rhythmic read, with a few lines per page- just the right amount  for a young child's attention. As my son will be at preschool in a few months, I like to draw his attention to text by pointing out words as I read. The text is a good size and clearly set against the colourful background.

©Missus B's Picture Book Reviews

Overall, #Baby Love : My Toddler Life is a nice read- toddlers will relate to the attractive pictures and play,  while  adults will relate to the proud parent , eagerly capturing special childhood moments. I would have liked if the book ended with a few more images of mother and son playing together, giving more emphasis to together time.  Either way, the book delivers an important reminder to parents: yes, it's wonderfully convenient to  have our phones at hand to capture moments, but it's just as important to put our devices to one side and join in with the fun. Photographs are a great reminder of special times, but playing with your child creates special memories for him- that warm and loving experience can never be captured on a phone!

Happy Reading,
Missus B.