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Reviewed by Robert A. Groves for Readers' Favorite
Before Your Story Began is a gentle, lyrical book about loving a child before birth. It is a continuous rhyme written by Susanne Blumer and illustrated by Colleen Sgroi. Its single idea runs through every page: a child is loved and wanted long before they are born. The verses move from a quiet moment of wondering who is growing in Mama’s belly to the bright moment of meeting face-to-face. The book opens, deepens, and resolves with variations of two phrases: “There you are.” and “It’s you. It’s you.” The story’s arc grows from a miniature feeling to a conviction and, finally, to a confirmation. The largest stretch of the text lies in the anticipation rather than the big event. The book is in no hurry and invites us not to be either. It encourages being in the present and enjoying every moment of the nine months.
Susanne Blumer provides a joyful, fresh perspective on pregnancy with Before Your Story Began. It inspires the waiting parent(s). It also becomes a keepsake with so many applications. That last blank page could be used to attach the ultrasound pictures or for the parent(s) to jot down their feelings when they learned of the conception. There is a gift inscription page as well. I can easily see the book being put away and then given to the child at a major future life milestone. And oh, those illustrations by Colleen Sgroi. There aren’t many of them, but they tug at the heartstrings. My favorite was the star, which, to me, represents the child as the light of the world. Light stands in for a presence that is not yet visible. Equally impactful was the illustration of the seasons, which showed how the child and the love grow over time. There have been many books written over the decades for parents-to-be; I assure you there are none like this one. Get it for yourself or give it as a gift.
