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The Children’s Book Review | May 13, 2019
Happy Tears and Rainbow Babies
Written by Natasha Melissa Carlow
Illustrated by Keevyn Mohammed and Kyle Stephen
Age Range: 3-7
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Purple Butterfly Press (April 30, 2019)
ISBN-13: 978-1948604208
What to expect: Loss of a Baby, Family, Love, and Spirituality
The loss of a pregnancy is difficult to explain to young children and can be hard to process. Happy Tears and Rainbow Babies is a picture book that helps approach and embrace such a conversation.
Five-year-old Rosie is a loving big sister to brother Capi. They walk the neighborhood with Mommy and Daddy, waving to their neighbor with the beautiful garden of flowers and barking with Peaches the dog that lives down the street, until they come to their favorite spot at the little park with a pond full of fish. Mommy lays down a blanket and they eat a snack by the pond. When they spot a beautiful rainbow, Mommy is overcome by happiness and a tear rolls down her cheek. When Rosie inquires why her mom is crying, Mommy explains that rainbows are a reminder of God’s love as well as a personal symbolic reminder:
“A rainbow is also a symbol that many families have used to represent something beautiful and meaningful. The rainbow is also a symbol for families, like us, who have had to say goodbye to babies before they could be born, but then went on to welcome more babies into their family. These new babies are called Rainbow Babies.”
By trusting their children with this profound information, Mommy and Daddy provide Rosie and Capi with a deeper connection within their own family that leads to a lovely moment of gratefulness and more tears of happiness.
The author’s experience as an Itinerant Counselor and mother shines through in the conversational style and love that exudes from the way the story is told. The textured, digital illustrations are warm, bright, and uplifting—a wonderfully sunny backdrop for such a story. Any family with spiritual beliefs that has experienced the loss of a baby during pregnancy will be bound to find Happy Tears and Rainbow Babies a beneficial read. It offers a beautiful demonstration on what a loving family can look like.
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About the Author
Natasha Carlow is a first time author and long time lover of the written word. As a mother of two amazing rainbow babies, who spent much of her time reading stories to her young children, Natasha noted that there were no stories that spoke to her family’s journey. So she decided to write one. Thus Happy Tears and Rainbow Babies- a story of hope, resilience and love was born. Natasha is an Itinerant Counselor and Lecturer who resides in Trinidad and Tobago with her husband and two preschoolers. She and her husband are owners of a children’s boutique called Rainbow Babies that specializes in customized clothing and accessories for rainbow families.
natashacarlow.com | katbiggiepress.com/purple-butterfly-press/
Dedicated Reviews allow authors and illustrators to gain prompt visibility for their work. This non-biased review of “Happy Tears and Rainbow Babies,” by Natasha Melissa Carlow, was sponsored* by Purple Butterfly Press. Learn more about getting a book review …
