Review: I'm Made of Mama's Milk
by Sarah Gaunt

Mary Olsen's book, I'm Made of Mama's Milk, is charming, enchanting, and wonderful. Olsen captures an endearing, light-hearted joy about breastfeeding, with flowing verse and lovely pictures. Reading the book with my sons was a delight. The boys giggled and pointed at the baby in the book, and were plainly enjoying the story.

Positive breastfeeding references in our culture are few and far between. Whenever we see a baby on television, or comics, or children's books, most of the time the child is being bottle-fed, or in a high chair being fed baby-goo on a spoon. I'm always on the lookout for examples of breastfeeding for my sons. I frequently feel I need to explain all the bottles associated with babies, and with this book, I felt no pressure to explain a thing. The boys knew, understood, and related to the pictures and text in Mary Olsen's book.

Jake, my three year old, laughed, and said, "Look, that baby's nursin'! Just like me an' Logan!"

Not only does this board book depict scenes of breastfeeding, but also of cosleeping, nursing in a sling, nursing in the bathtub, and a sling-wearing daddy. There is also a very pleasant surprise at the end, one that made both my sons laugh out loud in delight. Reading this book, I realized there is such a tremendous gap in our cultural images, and this book is an excellent start to filling that gap. There isn't a stroller or a crib in the book, nothing to indicate the baby is raised any differently than my boys. I love that.

Mary Olsen's words are just as alluring. She draws my sons in, makes them included, makes them part of the story, part of the wonder of breastfeeding. It is a book about them, my breastfeeding sons, and they, especially Jake, can tell immediately. He already asks for the book several times a day, and we've only owned the book for a very short while. This is definitely a book we will treasure for a long time to come. I only hope more books like Mary Olsen's I'm Made of Mama's Milk follow, and change our society's automatic associations when it comes to how babies and young children are fed, raised, spoken to, and how normal and wonderful breastfeeding our children actually is.

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I'm Made of Mama's Milk
Written and Illustrated by Mary Olsen (http://www.maryolsenbooks.com)
Featuring Mary Olsen's stylistically soft-focused digital images and engaging rhyming verse, "I'm Made of Mama's Milk" beautifully portrays breastfeeding in a natural and positive way. Throughout this sturdy, 24-page board book, a delighted nursling describes her love for nursing, how breastfeeding benefits her, and when, where, and how she nurses. All while in the loving presence of her parents. Breastfed babies and toddlers will surely enjoy "I'm Made of Mama's Milk" for years to come. This children's book is truly a one of a kind. Treat the nursling in your life to a copy. We at Mary Olsen Books thank you from the bottom of our hearts for choosing to breastfeed your precious child! This book retails now for $8.95.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0971537402/thenursimomsn-20
(Yes, The Nursing Mom's News does benefit from purchases made using
this link. If you would prefer, http://www.maryolsenbooks.com is the
non-affiliate link.)

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