Mama Bird Lost an Egg

The illustrations in this short book are beautiful and full of the wonder of nature. They form the background to a story that is about a mother bird who loses an egg. Clearly, this is an anthropomorphized story about miscarriage. The listener sees how the mama bird's living child tries to cheer her up as the two go on a flight that shows the beauty of their world. When they return home, Mama Bird feels better.

This book fills a niche as there are few stories that explain miscarriage to young children. For this reason, it is a valuable resource. The book is sweet but may leave young ones feeling not only that they make their parents happy but also feeling that it is up to them to make things better. Parents should reassure children that this is not their responsibility but that family love does make things better. This book can open up a tough subject for young children and their parents.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book in exchange for an honest review.

In spite of the topic covered (miscarriage, loss of a sibling), there is still light and hope offered in this book. The author carefully chose her words so as to offer comfort, beauty and interesting descriptions.

What a wonderful example it is to offer comfort to one another in spite of our own sorrows. I loved this sweet sentence about the young bird showing concern for his mama, “Gabriel nestles in her lap. He wishes he could sing to her a comforting song, but his throat is too tight.”

Healing can be found in time together and nature. The story explained of the birds, “Their little hearts are soothed by a landscape so wonderful they might have dreamed it.”

I highly recommend this book.

I received a digital copy of this book from netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

A unique and sweet story dealing with a poignant issue with sensitivity, aided by beautiful illustrations. I give it five star.

The illustrations are beautiful, and unfortunately there is a place for books like these. The topic breaks your heart, but I think kids are capable of understanding this story and applying it to their own family situations. I think books are a great tool to communicate emotions - especially when shared between a parent and child.

TW- miscarriage and loss. This beautiful and sad story of loss and how the people we love can help us to overcome, or live with our grief. The simple and kind way this story of miscarriage is presented is child friendly and easy to understand. The egg falling as a symbol of miscarriage was quite beautiful. An egg that is so fragile and small... it is a perfect symbol.

This may not be for everyone as we all deal with grief in different ways, but I think it’s a good tool.

This book is a good tool to help children understand miscarriages and grief that comes with them. Overall the books message was a good one. I just wish it explained the grief aspect a little bit more. The artwork in the book is beautiful and the message overall was a good one.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This picture book is about a mama swallow who loses an egg when there is an accident and her egg cracks. Gabriel is sad to see his mother so sad so he tries to cheer her up.

I liked the birds and how the son comforted his mom. The pictures were awesome and interesting. (Guest review by KMZ - 6 years old).

There are few books that touch on death in a way that illustrates how one moves forward in pain, this books does just that. While a bit short and ending a bit abruptly, a good entryway into having conversations around death.

Might be a good story to explain a miscarriage to a very young child. It's a sad, but sweet story of a little bird trying to make his mother feel better after the nest she's been sitting on breaks and the egg in it falls to the ground and breaks. Illustrations are very nice.

Mama Bird Lost an Egg is a short but sweet story about a mother bird losing an egg, and her baby bird providing her with some comfort.

The illustrations are truly lovely, with the prettiest little birds on vibrant landscapes. The translation is both crisp and flowery. The story itself is a good way to introduce young children to the concept of miscarriage in a tender way, going over the ideas of being sad, mourning, and providing each other with comfort during that kind of hard emotional time. I do think the story is a bit too simplistic and quick to necessarily be the most helpful book on the subject, especially since it wraps up so neatly, and this kind of grief is not like that.

I recommend this book as an introductory picture book for young children on the subject of miscarriage, with the caveat that I see it best used in conjunction with other resources (pair it with another book, or a TV episode/movie/something).

This book tells a story in which a little bird family experiences something subtly reminiscent of a miscarriage in a human family. A mama bird is mourning the loss of an egg growing a baby chick inside. The egg fell a long distance from a collapsed nest. The mama bird has a young son, Gabriel, that is saddened by this news. He was very much looking forward to being a big brother. Gabriel doesn’t like seeing his mother so sad and does all he can to cheer her up, and he does. Both birds find healing in each other and the beauty of nature.

“Mama Bird Lost an Egg” is a sad, educational, and inspirational little picture book. This book covers a difficult topic to discuss, however I find value in it because I believe it can help teach young children to have compassion and hope, especially when dealing with loss. The illustrations in this book are beautiful and sweet. “Mama Bird Lost an Egg” is geared toward the 3-6 year age range.

As a person who has suffered miscarriage I was interested in this book. I loved the pictures and descriptions. However is probably not for the really young children as too complex. But on the whole a lovely book.

The book is short and sweet. Pretty illustrations and a thoughtful story makes the concept interesting. I’m sure many children have faced loss and grief through miscarriage and this book tries to address it. It’s lovely that the book uses comfort and kindness to help but it’s a bit too much for young children to really understand the loss.

This was a lovely story about love and loss and it is told very well

I thought that the images were lovely too and it is an excellent concept that has been very well developed and the execution is spot on too - this can be used as a book to raise topics such as miscarriage and pregnancy loss for young ones when they find out that they won't be getting a new brother or sister now

It is 5 stars from me - a lovely book - very highly recommended!

Explores a kind of loss not often found in picture books, with many beautiful poetic lines and beautiful illustrations.

When Gabriel returns home to see if there is a little brother or sister hatching, he finds his mother upset and crying. She tells him the egg has broken and there is no baby. Gabriel feels bad not only for himself but also for his mother. He decides that he will cheer up his mother. How does he do that? Will he be successful?

This is a sweet but sad story. It is an excellent way to explain how a mother feels about losing a baby. It gives the discussion of what happen and how the mother feels. Yet it also shows how the rest of the family how they may be feeling. Losing a baby is never an easy time for any family. It can be a confusing and emotional time for everyone in that time. I think that this beautiful illustrated picture book gives everyone a chance to understand the loss. I recommend this book to anyone who needs help in discussing this subject.

This was a really sweet, tender book. I read it to my son and he loved the beautiful illustrations and the story was told in a way he could understand the loss.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book to my granddaughter the other day and was very happy with the story and the story line. Very teachable story.

Mama bird is crying today and her little son Gabriel tries everything he can to comfort her and stop the flow of tears. His world is turned upside down and his heart is broken because he has never seen his mother so upset. He nestles close to her and wishes he could sing her a comforting song. Whatever could be wrong to make his Mama so sad?

She explains to him that last night there was a terrible accident and the little egg that she was protecting and keeping warm fell to the ground. The nest suddenly collapsed, dislodged the egg and caused it to be no more.

Gabriel sensing his mother's deep grief takes it upon himself to try and cheer her up and make her happy once again. Together they take flight and zoom off into the sky. They swirl, twirl and dive into streams finally taking a much needed rest as they land in a great pine tree. Mama bird is very grateful for her son's company and efforts to make her heart feel whole once again and Gabriel is proud that Mommy's eyes are now smiling.

"No one else can cheer me up like you can," Mommy says, hugging him.

This book deals with the aftermath of prenatal grief which is a reality in many families. It will open up a conversation about the heartbreaking emotions that they are experiencing and give family members a chance to share those feelings, support one other at such a sad time and heal their hearts. This subject is a hard one to deal with and not often found in children's literature. The story is told with tenderness and compassion and the illustrations are soft and beautiful .


"A thoughtful picture book that uses a subtle metaphor to explore how a family experiences miscarriage."

I highly recommend this book.

A beautiful allegorical look at the painful process of grieving from a miscarriage or the death of a child. I love how simple and gorgeous this book was along with it's undeniable heart and empathy.