Published by My Art to Inspire, 2016.

On the surface this is a simple cautionary tale for toddlers. The lesson: Mommy’s smart phone is not a toy. However, it also works on a deeper level and there’s a message for parents too.

The story shows Mommy busily recording the minutiae of her young son’s life. We see him painting, reading, and banging a drum. Mommy snaps away on her smart phone, capturing these precious moments. However, while she is stuck behind her phone, she’s not fully engaged with her son; they’re not really playing together. The illustrations are very effective at highlighting this disconnect: mother and reader only view the son through the camera screen.

#BabyLove: My Toddler Life is a timely wake-up call reminding us to live in the moment. In our digital age that’s driven by social media interaction, we are often so intent on recording and sharing precious moments that we forget to actually experience the moment for itself. We can too easily view our child through a camera lens instead of face-to-face.

I think the book will strike a chord with many parents. It certainly did with me.

Rating: 💙💙💙

Suitable for children aged 2+

Thank you to Corine and Book Publicity Services for sending me this book to review.