Strong Mama

PreS-Gr 3–An ode to pregnancy and the importance of exercise during that time. The Latinx mother-to-be is an athlete and knows the benefits of exercise, eating right, and taking care of herself. Addressing her baby, Mama describes the changes in her body, the joy of feeling her baby kick, and the love felt both by her and “your dad,” who is brown-haired and green-eyed with lighter skin, as well as by the child’s “abuela, abuelo, tía, tíos, primos.” The book does not go into depth about the developing baby or the birth; rather, it is an exploration of Mama’s changing body and her feelings about becoming a mother. The vivid colors on the cover are muted in the book itself. When the narrator mentions listening to the baby’s heartbeat on headphones at an ultrasound, no headphones are shown in the illustration. A scene in which the mother uses a Peloton bike feels too much like product placement.