The love of a parent for a child is profoundly evident in Nancy Tillman’s “Because you’re mine”. Every page extols the love of a parent for the child placed in their life. Come, let me tell you all about it. 🙂
The Basics of Because You’re Mine
A picture book published by Feiwel and Friends (which is a division of Macmillan Children’s publishing group). 32 pages written for children 4-8 years old. Nancy Tillman is both author and illustrator fitting words to images as she celebrates the bond between parent and child. I received an ARC copy, it ships as a hardcover. This review is done on behalf of Raincoast Books.
The Beauty Contained Within
Ms. Tillman’s goal as an author is to help parents express what they feel for their children. She does so through word and illustration. Most of the illustrations contain some type of wildlife in them, those that don’t host a landscape theme.
The font is very simple text font, black on white, a nice size to read with a child sitting next to you, or with practice with a group of children The words are lyrical and flow, for the most part, easily from the lips. When I read it out loud I only stumbled three times, with practice that wouldn’t happen at all.
Most of the pages follow a similar style. Dark font on a white background with an illustration on the page next. Occasional pages were full colour with text.
Should You Get it?
Honestly, I have mixed emotions about this storybook.  I love the sentiment behind it, of a parent expressing their love for their child. THIS I love. It a wonderful thing.
I am somewhat more hesitant about the repeated “because you are mine” refrain. The thing is… I’m not sure why.Â
Since for children to know they are loved irregardless of what they do or where they go.. it’s priceless to know that depth of love. It’s much like the love God holds for us. Â
As I think about it, I think it’s the possessiveness implied. Like the child is a possession more than a dearly loved child. Yet the love continually expressed belies that. This book can be read with either viewpoint I suppose, and maybe still show that great sentiment… the coveted love of a parent for their child. Â
I further love that the children depicted are of all different ages. Doesn’t state if children are fostered, adopted, or naturally born to the parent. Just the ever-abounding love of a parent for their child. It would be so easy to use Because You’re Mine for any child in your care.Â
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I really like these illustrations and I think the sentiment is sweet. I don’t have an issue with it as God’s love and protection as the Father of all would be woven into the discussion surrounding the book.
I see what you’re saying. I loved the sentiment, as I was reading something earlier today about the importance of adoptive children being claimed by their families. YOU ARE MINE is important for them to here. So I love it. 🙂
Thank you for pointing this out!!!! The book itself is a wonderful and sentimental book. However, I have a passive aggressive Mother In Law who will always find ways to exclude me in the almost 20 years that I have been with her son (this includes dating years). After not coming to see our second child (her granddaughter) born in the hospital (30 min from her home), she visited our home and brought gifts for all but me (which I didn’t mind). A blanket for the baby, that she said she thought was ugly but that I can return it (no tags or receipt, but I’m pretty sure it was from Nordstrom, so not cheap either). There was a gift for our oldest daughter but I don’t remember if it was given then or another time. She then gave my husband this book wrapped up in nice paper and asked him to open it privately. I thought it was weird to have him open it privately but was having post partem issues and not really paying attention. I didn’t see the book again for several months because I was too busy with the kids and eventual returned to work. When I read it to my 2 daughters, I read what she wrote in it… then I read the book. Her little note said the book was from her to my husband (weird), and basically summed it up that she was passing all her love to him that he can pass on to his children (no mention of me). She also explicitly stated she wanted him to “read this first.” There are several portions of the book that state “because you’re mine, because you’re mine” and “you belong to me.” It was the loudest passive aggressive action I’d seen from her in a while. I showed a few friends/family members who all thought it was bizarre. Even my husband told me that he had wanted to throw the book away after reading her note and the book, it made him cringe. We have never confronted her about this, so I’ll just leave this for the internet world to see as my return act of passive aggression. She is absolutely wonderful to everyone else… she literally only treats me like this. She bent over backwards for her former son-in-law who was with her daughter (he is a horrible human being, then and now after their divorce).
um… okay. Sorry you have to deal with this. Some moms have trouble sharing their boys.