You Belong to Me Hardcover – Picture Book, August 1, 2016

This is a charming book which will help soothe a child at bedtime or during a stressful time. I read about it in the Wall Street Journal and the review there sold me on it.

Beautiful book, poetic and charmingly illustrated. Makes a lovely gift to a new mother or to any child.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.Thanks to NetGalley and Museyon for the opportunity to read and review You Belong to Me by Mamoru Suzuki! This beautiful picture book comprised of simple yet elegant illustrations creates a safe and comfortable feeling, which this book is trying to portray. The illustrations are colored sketches that feel natural and bring a relaxed atmosphere to the story. I rate You Belong to Me 4 stars for a book that makes you feel loved!

This is a perfect book to choose for a bedtime story because it calls forth feelings of security, love and belonging. It also would make an ideal gift for a newborn.A toddler learns first hand from a variety of animals that he will be loved, protected and cared for by them so he need never feel alone, abandoned or fearful. Different creatures show the baby love by uniquely expressing how they would bring their way of loving him to fruition: the dove lovingly tucks him under her wings, the ice bear wraps him in a gentle bear hug, and the fox promises to lick his tears dry, just to mention a few."I love you so much.I care about you the most in the world.I’m with you in the morning, in the afternoon, and in the evening.I’ll protect you all the time.I’ll go anywhere with you."And so on. All commit to nurturing and coddling this baby human they whisper reassuring words that will bring any child peace and instill warmth into his heart. Collectively they make it known by both the amazing illustrations and simple language of the text that they are there for him. The lovely result? The love they bestow on the small baby human comes back a hundred-fold (or more) and fills up their hearts as well.Heartwarming, caring, and evoking a lovely positive message, Japanese author/illustrator Mamoru Suzuki artfully has created a book that will be a pleasure to read to your child increasing the bonds of love between you two.

Title: You Belong To MeAuthor: Mamoru SuzukiPublished: 8-1-2016Publisher: Museyon IncPages: 32Genre: Children's FictionSub Genre: Family Life; Parents; Sleep; AnimalsISBN: 13: 9781940842127Reviewer: DelAnneReviewed For: NetGalleyRating: 5 StarsI received a copy of "You Belong To Me" from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.Description From the Publisher:You Belong to Me is a heartwarming story of the unconditional love that parents (both human as well as parents from the animal kingdom) have for their children. The simple text of love, caring and protection is accompanied by adorable illustrations of animals and dinosaurs that hug, help, and protect a human child. The comforting text is perfect for a soothing bedtime story:I love you so much.I care about you the most in the world.I’m with you in the morning, in the afternoon, and in the evening.I’ll protect you all the time.I’ll go anywhere with you.And so on.The repetition of the sweet, reassuring messages will calm your child as you lull them to sleep, and will leave a smile on your face and warm your heart as well.This beautiful book is a perfect gift for parents with a newborn baby.My Review:This is a sweet bedtime story for parents to read to their newborn and young infants to teach them that they are loved unconditionally. There are some beautiful illustrations to accompany the soft verses telling the recipient how much they are loved and wanted. My rating is 5 out of 5 stars.

4.5★Very simple, gentle, soft picture book about loving and belonging. Children need to know they belong somewhere, and this spells it out. In fact, I think it would be especially good for adopted kids, who always wonder where they really belong.It has delightful soft drawings of a wee toddler cuddled up with a different animal on every page. The child is a tiny, elf-like being, of indeterminate gender, in the ‘arms’ of the various loving beasts. The child's appearance is slightly Asian, but the hair is a thick, lush mop of varying colour, and I think most children of fair to medium complexion would identify with this little tot.Each page has a short message from the animal:“You are my favourite person in the whole world.”“I could spend all day with you.”“We’ll be there whenever you need us, wherever you need us”“Come to me whenever you are lonely.” [I have posted a couple of pictures from the book on my Goodreads review.]The last picture is of an adult (presumably a parent or parent-figure) saying:“But I love you most of all . . . because you belong to me.”It would also make a great gift to be given with a soft toy that represents one of the animals. In fact, different soft toys could be added to the collection if the book is a hit with the child.There is everything from a cuddly cat to an enormous dinosaur—something for everybody!Thanks to NetGalley and Museyon for the lovely preview copy. Highly recommended.

"You Belong to Me is a delightful little book! The story flows quickly and rhythmically with each page and the illustrations are simple, yet effective. I like that there isn't too much involved in the illustrations, so they do not take away from the point of the story. The illustrations clearly reaffirm what is being said in the storyline. You Belong to Me could easily become a household treasure. Children will choose this book over and over, simply because it's a feel good story. I'm looking forward to seeing more from author Mamoru Suzuki.”