This book does a good job of handling this sad topic. It’s hard to handle sensitive subjects with kids and it’s nice to have a good book to help discuss the subject in a delicate way.

A very unique book in itself where mommy is grieving the loss of a second child and the first child is worried for her. Most of the times children are left to wonder as to what happened and given less attention when such serious incidents occur. But this story not only acknowledges children's genuine concern for their mom, it also tries best to explain them. A much needed book for a family who has lost a child. Memorable book.

I will not be giving feedback on this title. I will not be giving feedback to this title as it was archived prior to my ability to download the text.

Love the way that the child understands and helps his mom with the loss of a baby. If you have experienced infant loss and you have young children pick up this book.

~ Thanks to NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group / River Grove Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review ~

*Please note that this review was delayed due to a period of health complications

With a topic like this, I feel bad for not being able to rate it the full 5 stars. The illustrations are nice enough, and "Why is Mummy Crying?" definitely tries hard to find a gentle way to explain the reality of and emotional pain behind miscarriages to children. I commend Baill for their efforts because it's not an easy subject. The issue stems from the religious undertones: God gives babies to parents, and sometimes God takes them away, but they'll always be loved. A good enough message for families who are religious, because in some ways that message can be very healing, but for those who are atheists or even those who would simply like to give a more earthly explanation for what has happened, this book isn't a good fit. Regardless of my thoughts on religion, I did find the scene where Max talks about God's arms to detract from the tone of the book. I understand that it was supposed to show how the innocence of children can be healing in itself, but it felt a little unnecessary.

Criticism aside, I do think that this book is worth recommending to parents who practice a religion and want to explain a miscarriage to their young children. I hope that it helps bring your family comfort and healing.

I really wanted to like this book as I think it is a needed title. It’s about explaining pregnancy loss your other children. What I like least is the various references to god. I know that is how many people explain things, but I wish it was more “medical” instead of religious. But for those who are religious it is a great title. And I do give it snaps for using a multicultural family.

Having experienced two miscarriages, I was hopeful this book would be helpful and relatable. This kind of loss is so difficult to deal with, especially when trying to explain it to a child.

While I adored the illustrations, I was blindsided by how religious the message is, especially since it was written by a doctor. When I saw that it was listed as "nondenominational", I figured religion would not be a factor. Sadly I was mistaken. My family does not depend on myths for its strength and support, so this book was no help to us.

Thank you to NetGalley and Greenleaf for gifting me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Tasteful illustrations and a carefully developed text take a sensitive subject and turn it into a bittersweet but uplifting story, written in a way that adults and children can both relate to.

Why is Mommy Crying? by I. Cori Baill is a book about explaining early pregnancy loss to young children. I work in mental health and while I think the subject matter was an excellent idea and there needs to be books published to help young children and their parents cope with pregnancy loss, I personally felt like this book was a bit simplistic especially in the way it characterized the unborn baby returning to be with God. I am a Christian and believe in God. However, not everyone is a Christian and not everyone believes in God. At the very least, I would recommend this book be labeled as Christian reading.

Thank you to netgalley.co.uk for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

When I first saw this book up for review, I knew I just had to try it. It deals with the heartbreaking subject of child loss which, in the 21st Century, most people seem to treat it as a taboo subject. I think the author handled this sensitive subject in a brilliant way, I believe this is a brilliant book to start a conversation with children on baby loss and mental health. It is a lovely book to help adults guide the conversation of grief with young children. I hope this book gets picked up by a lot of parents and should be every school or library. I think it would be a brilliant resource and hopefully make miscarriage less of a taboo subject.

'Why is Mommy Crying?' is a book about pregnancy loss and explaining this loss to a young child. I found this book difficult to read. I do think this was an excellent concept, I just did not enjoy how it was executed. I myself have experienced pregnancy loss and I do think it is very important to have a way to explain this to your children. One point is that the book is religious, while I am religious I do think it is important to make sure this book is marked as a religious reading. This may work for a religious audience, but someone that does not have that background may leave this book a bad review if it is not well known before their purchase. Overall I think the book missed the mark.

Would I recommend this book to a friend? Possibly.

The book explores an extremely delicate subject; that of the loss of a child.
How to explain it to children? How to explain a mother's pain to them? How to explain death?
The author and the illustrator succeed; the ending does not contain sadness but hope and love. Recommended for parents looking for a book to explain this topic to their children.

"Max found his favourite place. It was nice and warm."

4

Dr. I. Cori Baill has written a tender children’s book using the love between mother and son to explain the early loss of a child (sibling) during pregnancy. While simply written, this book should be read and discussed between either child and parent(s) or child and therapist. This will be difficult for a child to grasp without hard questions, maybe at the wrong time.
I cried so hard before I wrote this review. I have lived with medically-induced infertility (with no children) for 25 years, and have had these discussions with my nieces and nephews. Why is Mommy Crying definitely would have been helpful during those conversations.

Often children's books about grief focus on the loss of a pet or grandparent and fail to acknowledge that parents might also be grieving alongside the child. "Why is Mommy Crying?" by I. Cori Baill, MD is a refreshing resource that blends what kids need to know and what they yearn to hear when loss has occurred within the family. With 10-20% of pregnancies ending in miscarriage, it is surprising that more resources for guiding families through this particular sort of grief are not readily available.

Dr. Baill beautifully acknowledges a child's fearfulness when he observes his mother crying and upset. The parents in the book are loving, affirming, and relatable. Their continued acknowledgement of their own sorrow and efforts to continue nurturing rituals with the main character brings comfort to the reader. I appreciate the diverse family representation, as diverse family structures are often not represented in children’s books about grief. There is a religious component to the dialogue but it remains nondenominational and relatively open to a varieties of faith practices. As a mental health clinician, I value the author's creation of a character who experiences a careful balance of emotional vocabulary, attachment affirmation, and exploration of what has occurred. The book includes a resource page to further connect adult readers with supports. I intend to introduce this book to my clinical resource library as I'm certain it will be an invaluable resource to many families navigating pregnancy loss.

#bibliotherapy #newrelease #bookreview #pregnancyloss #miscarriage #mentalhealth #grief #therapy #familytherapy #childtherapy

I had really wanted to love this book. Having experienced two losses myself, I was instantly grabbed by the title. My husband and I weren't sure how to talk to my stepdaughter about it, or if we even should. And when I became pregnant again, we didn't know if we should risk getting her hopes up. I thought this book might be helpful for people in the same predicament.

The illustrations are beautiful, but what I wasn't expecting was how religious this book is. Being written by an MD, I had expected something different, I guess. The synopsis refers to the book as nondenominational, so I guess I should have anticipated it to be religious, but I assumed it was secular based on that description.

The book explains that God sometimes takes unborn babies back. This book unfortunately isn't for everyone. I would love to see a similar book for children without the religious overtones. My stepdaughter was not raised to believe in God, so this book would be of no help to her.

I received a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group.

Started off fantastic. I was really hoping this would be a book i could utilize in ECE with the hope that it wasnt too religious. I was wrong. I should have read the description more carefully but i was excited seeing a book about miscarriage. Beautiful

As someone who had a miscarriage, I really appreciate the availability of a book like this. I have a healthy child now but I worried about how to explain it to him if it were two happen in the future. I also have a number of friends who did have kids when they had their miscarriages and struggled with what to tell them.

I think this was a really good idea, and I think overall it did really well, but I would flag in the description that it’s religious. I’m not against religious books and I do believe in something bigger than us, but I have a number of friends who wouldn’t love that. A little hint in the description would help people gift this to the right people.

This little sweet book, written from the perspective of a little child seeing his mother grieve, is so endearing and a real solace to those tender aged children whose parents, and themselves to some extent, have to deal with miscarriage. The questions that the main character asks are easily understood and relatable, while giving factual information, there is assurance for the young ones of their parents continued love and presence.

This book is a heartfelt book that will make an important impact if a family is going through a grieving time because of the loss of a pregnancy. All involved will have a chance to dialogue and share their feelings about the loss of another potential family member who is now no more.

Max wakes up in the middle of the night and takes his stuffed monkey, named Mink, with him as he goes off to his parents bedroom. On his way there he sees that his mother is sitting in the living room by herself crying. Concerned for her he asks if she has an "owwie" and volunteers to get a Band-Aid to help her heal.

"What are you two monkeys doing up? Mommy asked."If you're cold in your jammies, you can rock with me."

Snuggling together under her quilt she gently relates to him the reason for her tears.

"Sometimes a baby returns to be with God." She further explains that: "God will take care of our baby."

The illustrations are beautiful and so enrich the story. The couple is interracial and the love they share as a family unit flows from page to page and is visually showcased so well. The author has included a list of " Additional Resources: at the back with offers websites about grief. I love the book and highly recommend it.

Trigger Warning: Child Loss

2/5 stars

Genre: Children's Fiction

Description:

One is often at a loss how to engage with those in grief, whether adult or child. Because miscarriage affects about a third of pregnancies, most readers likely know someone who has experienced this sadness.

This beautifully illustrated, inclusive, nondenominational picture book helps recipients of every age know that the door is open, and a caring person is on the other side. Written by an experienced physician, Why is Mommy Crying? comforts in the context of family and the larger universe. Young ones are also helped in navigating their fears.

The young protagonist, Max, uses his imagination, and accompanied by his stuffed animal, Mink, begins to understand what has made his mother sad. His imagery and ideas offer a gentle springboard to discuss with children and the adults who love them the broader concepts surrounding grief and recovery.

Pros:

- The art is well done.
- It includes resources at the end.

Cons:

- Addresses Child Loss in a religious way (god gives us babies and sometimes he takes them back) which isn't for everyone.
- I'm not sure how old Max is supposed to be (he seems pretty young the way he's drawn) but some of the language he uses isn't appropriate for a young child.
- I respect what the author was trying to do I just don't think it quite hit the mark.

Would I recommend it?

Unfortunately, no.