January 12, 2008
Maybe it was my hormones, or maybe it was that emotional “Mommy switch”.. you know, the one that gets flipped on for the first time when you’re pregnant, and pretty much flips on again anytime babies and and children are involved… Hmmm.
Well, it is safe to say that I have never before been emotionally moved to tears by a children’s book… until I read Motherbridge of Love. — If anyone else was as affected by the emotion-provoking prose and the whimsical illustrations, then it’s definitely no wonder it snatched up the #3 spot on Time Magazine’s Top Ten Children’s Books of 2007 list.
The book is based on a beautiful poem that was submitted anonymously to the charity Mother Bridge of Love, a British-based charity founded by Xinran (a British-Chinese author and broadcaster) to help bring together adopted Chinese children from around the world, and to help “bridge” the cultural gap between their birth culture and that of their adopted culture with the power of information and support. By doing so, the charity “ultimately wants to help bridge the huge poverty gap, which still exists in many parts of China.“ (To learn more about the charity, visit the website at www.motherbridge.org)
The poem, in all of it’s simplicity, is such a moving (I can’t stress that enough!) affirmation from mother to adopted child that she is loved, that she has always been loved, and that she is her precious daughter because her birth mother loved her so much that she wanted to give her a better life… and in doing so her birth mother also fulfilled another woman’s fervent hope to be a mother.
I feel that illustrator Josée Masse, with her uniquely bold artistic style, not only compliments, but very nearly personifies and most definitely amplifies, through her work, the depth of love and emotion that emanates from the poem. The lyric itself is powerful, but the illustrations make the words “come alive.”
This book is great for reading along with your little one because of the lilting prose and the beautiful message of motherly love and affection, and I believe adoptive parents will find it to be a very special addition to their story times together with their child.
Look for Motherbridge of Love at Barefoot-Books.com, at Barnes and Noble and at Amazon.com
Technorati Tags: Josée Masse, children’s book review, children’s books, adoption, books about adoption, Motherbridge of Love, book review, Top 10 Children’s Books of 2007, top children’s books, Xinran
