A review by bookishrealm
To the Moon and Back for You by Emilia Bechrakis Serhant

4.0

Okay let me start by saying that I read through some of the reviews after reading this book and I strongly disagree with some of the analysis that say that this isn’t for children and that they wouldn’t understand and that the author just wrote it for herself. First, unless you’ve been through the process of struggling to have a child it’s easy to write off the content of this book. Second, I don’t think it was the authors intention for the child to understand the purpose of this book right away. I think that it’s about teaching our children that as mothers we’re willing to go to the ends of the earth for them. I think when they are older this book will serve as a good place for a conversation opener about the fertility process. I’m all about being mindful of what content we share with growing children; however, I’m also very much about being honest to our children in ways that they can understand. This book doesn’t need to explain the fertility process to a child, it is meant to show the love that a mother has for her child. I think people get bogged down in the idea that you can’t use picture books for older children and that’s just not true. This book is versatile and can be used for a variety of ages. The conversations that are developed around this book can be changed and tailored to the age of the child.


Anyway, I really enjoyed it. I wish it was a little longer but the abstract artwork and beautiful colors fit the story brilliantly. I’m slowly becoming a fan of picture books that appear to use some form of watercolor for the basis of the artwork. The language is poetic and beautiful. And while I didn’t have fertility issues in conceiving my daughter I did have to give birth to her alone as a single mother and it was the most difficult thing I went through but I would do it all over again just to have her. I really connected to this author and I look forward to seeing more of her work.