I’m Made of Mama’s Milk: A Book Review

My rating: 2.5 out of 5.
Description: Children’s board book published in 2001.
Subject: “A nursling’s celebration of the joys of breastfeeding.”
Appropriate age of child: 6 months and up.
List price: $8.95.

Pros: Sturdy board book. Actual color photographs as opposed to illustrations.

Cons: Strained rhymes. Grainy picture quality.

I do not relish criticizing any book much less a children’s book about nursing, but I simply cannot give this book my unreserved endorsement. The concept has such great potential but the result is disappointing. I’m Made of Mama’s Milk by Mary Olsen contains over 20 photographs of a nursling who appears to be approximately one year old (now that my own nursling is two it’s hard for me to judge a baby’s age!) The darling little girl is shown nursing in her mama’s arms, in a sling, in a bed, in the bath and at the park. The pictures are not overly modest nor unnecessarily graphic (more conservative readers might object to one or two photos). It is nice to see the father/husband included in three of the pictures as well. The problem lies in the poor quality of the photographs. They’re annoyingly blurred and fuzzy but not in a “romantic” way. They look like poor quality still shots taken from a video.

Furthermore, while I appreciate the attempted rhythm and lilt of the words, some of the rhymes felt a bit strained:

I like to drink while warm in the bath,
Or while being carried down a park nature path.

I must admit that the book immediately drew the attention of my two-year-old and she loved the pictures of a nursling much like herself (and the fuzzy “mirror” on the last page). I fear that adults, though, are going to be put off by the poor photo quality. If I’m Made of Mama’s Milk featured better quality pictures, I would have given the book a rating of at least 4.5.