When I’m pregnant, the older kids love watching little videos of babies in utero. I love to explain how big the baby is compared to objects they know and whats happening with our baby. Is the tiny heart beating? Can it hear their voices yet? Are it’s eyes open?
They’re always fascinated to learn how the baby develops. They love a new sibling months before meeting her. It’s one of the best parts of pregnancy for me–their wonder and joy as they bond with a new baby in the womb.
Last year, Lucy’s godmother gave her a copy of Regina Doman’s Angel in the Waters from Sophia Institute Press and the kids fell in love with it immediately. The illustrations by Ben Hatke are absolutely stunning and the story follows a baby in utero’s growing awareness of the world around him. It depicts safety and peace of being cradled in his mother’s body, the startling entry into the bright, big world, and the comforting realization that he knows his mother when she holds him for the first time. He is accompanied by his guardian angel throughout the book. His angel reassures him as he navigates the his changing environment (womb to birth).
This gorgeous picture book is such a celebration of life and portrays how tenderly God loves every child, no matter how small.
Lucy’s godmother warned me that it would make me cry and even after reading it dozens of times, I always get choked up and have to pause. It’s just so beautiful. Every person on this earth is valuable and has infinite worth. It’s a lovely gift for a family expecting a new baby or for any family that wants to help their children understand the worth of each life beginning at conception.
And since our paperback copy is now falling apart after being much loved, Sophia Institute Press sweetly sent us the 10th anniversary hardback edition and kindly offered a copy to a lucky Carrots reader!
So just enter the rafflecopter widget below (you may have to click over to the actual site to see it if you’re reading in a feed reader)! Only U.S. and Canadian residents, please, due to shipping costs. Thanks! Giveaway ends on Friday night (Oct. 24th) at midnight.
Special thanks to Sophia Institute Press for sponsoring this review and offering a giveaway prize.
My favorite picture book for children include any that have beautiful pictures of nature.
There are so many picture books that I love for my kids. Angel in the Waters is one of our family favourites. We also love
The Weight of a Mass by Josephine Nobisso
A Boy Who Became Pope by Fabiola Garza
I Go to Jesus and A Gift of Myself by Carissa Douglas
The Clown of God by Tomie dePaola
There are so many but these are the ones we’re really enjoying right now.
I can’t wait to read the rest of the comments.
I have The Weight of a Mass for my boys (a gift from their auntie) and we love it! 🙂
Right now, I love the pictures in “The Important Book” by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Leonard Weisgard. So much so that I’m looking for more books he’s illustrated!
I have a soft spot for one of the books we got from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. It’s called All of Baby, Nose to Toes. It has sweet pictures, but the main reason I like it is that it was the first book I memorized from reading over and over to my oldest.
This is such a hard question!!! Some of my very favorites include ‘Amos McGee and the Sick Day’ and ‘the Little Prince’ and of course all the Saint books by/illustrated by Tomie DePaola.
I love this book. Hatke’s illustrations are gorgeous and I’d love to share this story with my children.
I’ve always wanted to get this book! And having a hard copy would be so nice as after much reading of the favorites, they tend to start falling apart. 🙂
My favorite book to read to my toddler is My Storytime Bible by Renita Boyle and illustrated by Melanie Florian. The pictures are wonderful, and it’s the most fun book to read aloud because Ms. Boyle uses so many onomatopoeic and rhyming words. Most importantly, it’s a truly Catholic Bible (gauged by the Daughters of St. Paul where we bought the book by the book’s treatment of the Last Supper). Can’t recommend it highly enough!
I love “There’s No Such Thing as a Dragon”.
I have had my eye on this book for a while. When I was pregnant with my second, my first was too young but I think when I am pregnant with my third (which will be soon, God willing) it will be perfect. I think it is so important to talk about the value and beauty and special nature of life especially in utero. I think I actually first came across this book on your site. 🙂
oh, and my favorite children’s book is the Jesus Storybook. If you don’t know it you should check it out. There are some parts I’m still a bit iffy on but everything is orthodox and the old testament all has christological tie-ins. And they don’t shy away from the passion of the cross. they address it, but in an appropriate manner.
I like Max Lucado’s You Are Special.
My daughter and I love The Golden Book of Mary.
My favorite book for children is any book with beautiful pictures. Some favorites that come to mind are “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” and “Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do you See?”
It depends on how young. I love The Big Red Barn for the little ones. Wait Til The Moon Is Full is another favorite once they are a bit older.
My favorite when I was little was “The Lady with the Alligator Purse.” I think little kids love the rhyming story because it’s easy for them to remember and “read” along.
I guess I’ll have to go with my son’s current favorite book. Right now, he can’t get enough of The Little Dump Truck by Margery Cuyler. For Mass, we love the Our Father and the Hail Mary by Sabrina Bus.
I really love the Beatrix Potter series
What a lovely book!
The giving tree is a fan fav
I Love this book! It makes me cry every time I read it to nieces and nephews, and I’d love to add it to our own collection!
I’m not sure I have a favorite myself right now, but my son’s current favorites are Hippos Go Berserk and Big Dog, Little Dog.
My favorite might be Rhyming Dust Bunnies. No, seriously. It’s hilarious!
It looks beautiful! My kids love watching in utero videos of babies, too. There’s just something so amazing seeing what is happening in there!
My son (and I) adore The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Stawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear. 🙂
I read this on the Sophia Press preview of the book and just fell in love with it. I know this is exactly the type of book that would speak to my baby (when, God willing, a sibling is on its way), and that she would love reading.
Thank you for offering such a great book as a giveaway!
I Am a Bunny by Richard Scarey. It is so beautiful!
I love to collect childrens books in anticipation of my own children (for the future)!
Never heard of this one!
Ox Cart Man. 🙂
My favorite children’s books are any written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss!
Hard question! We like anything that is more realistic looking. Nothing that looks like it was drawn on a computer!
We are loving Leaves by David Ezra Stein right now 🙂
I’m expecting Baby #1 in early February. I saw a preview of this book right after my ultrasound and it had me in tears 🙂 I’ll definitely be adding it to the family collection!
I love the paintings in Ludwig Bemelan’s “Madeline”.
With baby #4 on the way, I’ve been wanti g to pick up a copy of this!
We’re expecting our second child in April. What a great book to show my toddler what’s happening in mamas belly.
Such a good book!
I haven’t found a fave yet, since my first is still a baby. We are currently reading the Chronicles of Narnia at bedtime. She is too little to get it, but that’s ok!
We are loving “The Ink Garden of Brother Theophane” at the moment.
My girls and I love Whoever You Are, by Mem Fox!
I love so many children’s books! I remember especially loving Winnie the Pooh, The Story of Holly and Ivy, Katy and the Big Snow, What Do People Do All Day, Sunshine and Moonlight and the Alfie books when I was young.
My two year old is really into Everywhere Babies right now, it is wonderfully illustrated. My all-time fave is The Red Mitten.
Our favorite picture book for young children is Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown.
I love the Max Lucado books, particularly You Are Special and The Crippled Lamb.
This book is on my wishlist!
Bunny Bungalow by Cynthia Rylant and Seven Silly Eaters tie for our favorite.
Ugh, I cried yesterday reading a dumb American Girl’s short story about “Felicity’s New Sister” to my preschooler, so this would totally wreck me 😀
While we’re on the subject of choking up — “The Clown of God” by Tomie de Paola made me cry at least the first 2-3 times I read it. Definitely a classic!
We love a book called “Circus Ship”. All of the animals are shipwrecked and go to a little island in Maine where the community adopts them and help the animals avoid the mean circus boss.
It is great! This book look so beautiful and I know my girls would love it.
It’s so hard to pick just one. I think Grandfather Twilight or When the Sun Rose, both by Barbara Berger, for the illustrations and peaceful story.
The one picture book that I always remember is The Giving Tree. I love that as a child I was shown how important it was to be caring. It taught me a little about what sacrificial love is.
My favorite book for young children is mama, mama. I could recite it for you now, if you’d like.
One Wintry Night by Ruth Bell Graham
Pick again if you pick me. 🙂 We read this book A. Lot. The kids always point out when the baby gets fingers and toes and that the baby comes when the Mommy and Daddy are hugging each other! And then the discussions about Heaven that usually follow… It’s a simple but deep book.
I’ve really been into the book “Not Norman.” It’s about a boy who gets a goldfish as a pet, instead of a different kind of pet. It’s about acceptance and contentment and learning that our expectations aren’t always right.
I don’t know if I have a favorite…my daughter is 19 months and LOVES Richard Scarry’s Shapes and Opposites. It’s definitely not my favorite! I would love to win this book…my baby is due November 1!
Our family’s favorite picture book is Tom by Tomie DePaola. Garung-arunga!
Mixed up Max was my favorite story as a child. I am so glad you posted this book. I just found out I’m pregnant with #4 and the timing couldn’t be more perfect.
“The Very Hungry Caterpillar” was always a favorite of mine as a kid. I can’t wait to see which ones my kiddo loves!
I have read so many wonderful things about this book – thank you for hosting the giveaway! One of my favorite children’s books was always Richard Scarry’s Big Book of Words. I loved it to pieces!
Oh I love this book, I saw it at a friends house once. I would love to have to have it for little girl… especially once we start giving her siblings:)
I like one we got from my in-laws called “On the Night You Were Born”, all about how you are beautiful and irreplaceable.
I agree…I read the book in our bookstore and publicly sobbed. It’s beautiful!
This is hard… So I’m going with a favourite of the moment – “Hippos go Berserk!”
I love the Frances series by Hoban. They’re charming for adults as well as kids, which is such a blessing by the fifth or sixth reading of the day. (:
What a lovely book! I’m sure I would cry reading it. Some of our favorites are Nancy Tillman books (the crown on your head; wherever you go; on the night you were born) and Winnie the Pooh! We love the Jesus Story Book Bible too. We actually read the passion story last night And I cried. My sweet boy gave me a hug.
My favorite picture books for kiddos is The Little House, that one chokes me up and it is about a house, well the story is much deeper than the house. My little guy loves that book.
We love “On the Night You Were Born” and all the books like it!
We really like the original Winnie the Pooh!
As an early childhood teacher with a children’s librarian Mama, there’s no way I could choose just one favorite picture book! A River of Words, Not a Box, Press Here, anything by Mo Willems, Stars, All the World…I could go on for ages. We’re actually in the process of turning a spare closet in my son’s room into a book nook 🙂 He LOVES looking at the “Life Cycle” posters on display at our church, and I know he’d be fascinated by Angel in the Waters.
We love Nancy Tilman and God Gave Us You
We love the hungry caterpillar, and love all the suggestions here!
My favorite is “Love You Forever” by Robert Munsch. The first time I read it my eyebrows were in danger of receding into my hairline but when I got to the last few pages it was so sweet it made me cry and I really understood how the mother felt. My only son is 5 months old so I don’t know how much he would enjoy it but one of my favorite things is to hold my dear boy and read this book to him and let myself get sappy at the end.
My girls love the Gerald and Piggie books.
My favorite changes by the week – this week it’s The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson.
So hard to pick! Probably Wherever You Are My Love Will Find You by Nancy Tillman
this would be a delightful book to have currently! I’m pregnant with our 4th child and my eldest son is now old enough to pay attention to the fact that their is a baby in mama’s tummy 🙂
oh and my favorite picture book will always and forever be Goodnight Moon. I has been a favorite since I was a little child myself 🙂
“I’ll love you forever” – bawl my eyes out every time!
Any book with pictures of Mary 🙂
My favorite picture book is “T is for Trucks” because that is my son’s favorite
The Night You Were Born
I’ve heard good things about this book and would love to win a copy! Our favorite kids book is probably What Baby Needs by Dr. Sears… another great one to prepare big siblings for a new baby.
I’ve heard great things about this book! Favorite picture books from my childhood include the Giving Tree and Oh the Places You’ll Go.
I love Outside Over There by Maurice Sendak. It is a blast to read, and in my opinion, WAY better than “Where the Wild Things Are”.
I’m definitely looking this one up 🙂
So so difficult to pick!
We love On the Night You Were Born and Good Night Moon, but our latest favorite is Wild Child (a beautiful book about Autumn).
This book looks beautiful and a perfect way to instil the value of life in young children.
On a side note, what is an appropriate age for this book? My 5 year old knows babies grow in mommies tummies and come from God, but that is pretty much it. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic.
I love the classics like Bluberries for Sal and The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant also a funny one from my childhood called A Great Big Ugly Man Came Up and Tied His Horse to Me by Wallace Tripp, it’s hilarious and I still have most of the poems memorized from when I was little. My favorite baby prep book so far is Hello Baby by Jenni Overend about a home birth told from the youngest child’s perspective, it’s really beautiful! I think Angel in the Waters would be a perfect addition to our collection!
We love Eric Carle books and GO DOG GO!
Thanks for holding this giveaway! It’s hard to pick a favorite! Some of the perennial faves are Dr. Seuss books (Grinch, A-B-Cs, Oh the Places You’ll Go), and the kids love having the Frog and Toad stories read to them … I personally love the illustrations in older children’s books like “The Tale of Peter Rabbit.” Our littlest guy also loves “Baby, Come to Church.” 🙂
I forgot about other faves for when mama is pregnant! “My New Baby,” “Mama, What’s in There?” and “What Brothers Do Best” continue to be popular with our little guys.
I would love to read this to Dax 🙂 pick me!
This is beautiful!
My favorite picture book is The Gruffalo, it works nicely that it is one of my son’s favorites too!
One of my favorites is You Are Special by Max Lucado. So precious. I can never get through it without crying.
I’ll second Max Lucado’s “You Are Special.” So wonderful!
We love Go Dog! Go! and Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? Among so many others…
Looks like a lovely book, and the giveaway is on my daughters first birthday!
This is one of our favs! I think The Very Hungry Caterpillar would be our number one fav though!
My favorite is Seven Silly Eaters!
It looks beautiful!
wow, this book looks great! it would be a good way to get the kids involved when a little sibling is on the way =)
We LOVE “Angel in the Waters” at our house. To answer an earlier post, our daughter was barely 2 years old when I was pregnant with #2 last winter… and she loved to read it. There’s nothing to worry about from an age appropriateness standpoint (in my opinion, anyway!). But I had to put our book away after our son was born because I cry EVERY time I read it. My favorite church book is “Baby Come to Church,” though it’s been ages since we brought it to mass because #1 (almost 3) only wants the hymnal and #2 only wants to eat books (he’s only 8 months). He can eat a book I don’t want to keep nice for future kids. 🙂 Next time we need some more books, I’ll have to come back to this list – there are a lot of good ideas here!
My favorite children’s book is “Mama Says: A Book of Love For Mothers and Sons”. Gorgeous images from cultures around the world, but all the same love. Plus a killer rhyme scheme. (I can’t handle kids’ books that don’t rhyme, or rhyme poorly!)
So many good books mentioned! We too love “Angel In The Waters” and “Love You Forever” and Weight of a Mass”! We love just about any book we get off the Mater Amabilis reading lists and from Catholic Moasic!
I love Shel Silverstein “Where the Sidewalk Ends” because it always makes my children laugh.
Looks like a beautiful book!
Our favorite picture book is I’ll Love Your Forever 🙂 And this book sounds amazing!!
My favorite book to read my kiddies is “Love You Forever”. However, their favorite book right now is “The Cat in the Hat”. 🙂
“Love You Forever” is so timeless! Love it.
I love this book! It is such a great gift for expectant parents. I love to read it to the children and scho as well!
For my all time favorite children’s book? That’s hard, there are so many (this one included). But maybe I will go with The Gruffalo!
Right now we’re all really into the Gyo Fujikawa “Babies” book – I don’t know why we don’t have Angel in the Waters already!
This book would be so lovely to have as I’m 6 days away from my due date for my second. I’m not sure how much it would inform my 16 month old daughter but it should would make me cry! Thanks for suggesting it.
It sounds awesome! I am just starting a book collection for my daughter.
My favorite picture book would be any of the cozy classics
We love Eric Carle books!
Right now we’re really loving Tiny Saints new picture book: The Saints are Watching Over Me. It’s definitely for a younger audience as it’s a board book, but it’s adorable and gets kids familiar with a few amazing saints early on 🙂 You should check it out!
My favorite book as a child was “Can’t you sleep, little bear?” I loved the pictures!
The Little Engine That Could!
That book is too precious! I always love reading “Love You Forever” by Robert Munsch. That one chokes me up, too!
My boys love “Big Red Barn!”
We really love Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel.
This is a gem of a book. We are in need of a hardbound copy.
My kids love the Scaredy Squirrel books by Melanie Watt.
My MIL just got this for my girls, and my 5 year old was seriously teary eyed by the end! A very sweet book and it made them even more excited to meet their new little brother 🙂