The Lovely Haze of Baby Days

The Lovely Haze of Baby Days” is a sweet celebration of new motherhood- sweet but not saccharine. It’s told from the perspective of a mother narrating her thoughts to her young baby. While there is plenty of adoration, there is also the acknowledgment of blowouts, sleepless nights, and frustration in the rhyming couplets. I also appreciated the diversity of mothers portrayed. The bright and cheery illustrations had me reminiscing of the first days after my babies were born and how everything seemed to be surrounded in a glow, the lows were low but right now I only remember the good. This would make a perfect gift for a new mom. The curving nature of the text and illustrations were a treat for the eye to follow, conveying the rhythm of days with a young baby. The illustrations appear to be done in watercolor, acrylic, gouache and have a vivid richness, almost jewel tone. The mothers are featured in the center of the story with long hair spiraled all around, resembling a nautilus shell. I also appreciate that this story centered on the perspective of the mother, and that her musings were wonderous and pedestrian, and that they allowed the full range of emotion. Not many stories about mothers do that.