Thank You for Being My Baby (100,000th Copies Commemorative Edition)

★A classic and long-selling picture book with 300,000 copies sold in Japan and 100,000 copies sold in Taiwan, touching the hearts of countless parents and children!
★The best-selling children's books of the year from Eslite, Books.com, and Kingstone Bookstores!
★No.1 in Books.com's Top 100 Children's Books of 2016-2018
★Won the No.1 Most Favorite Picture Book by Hong Kong Readers
★Widely praised and recommended by picture book collectors and parent-child bloggers!

──100,000-copy commemorative edition──
Whenever you open this book, it reminds you of the cute look of your child when he or she is born!
．Exclusive interviews with authors and illustrators, including new insights into their creative process that you may not have known, sharing every detail behind the story...
．Dedicated to the parents who are eagerly looking forward to having children, preparing to welcome their little ones, and accompanying their children as they grow up!
A heartwarming story that will move mothers and babies to tears while they kiss and hug each other.
It tells the story of the closest yet furthest distance in the world, and the most anticipated yet longest nine months.

Because God said, "You can be born!"
The little baby angel began to look for his mommy.
Along the way, he met lots of baby animals and their wonderful mommies:
There is the mother bear who loves hugs, the mother gorilla who loves kisses, and the mother owl who is fluffy and warm.
Seeing the intimate interactions between other animals and their mothers makes the baby so envious...

Originally a gift from the author to her son, it's now a gift to parents and children everywhere! This heartwarming picture book will make children feel loved and adults feel moved enough to hug their children. Through simple yet touching text and heartwarming illustrations, it leads parents and children into a world filled with love.

● A moving and heartfelt sharing of the experience of fatherhood. Author Xi Yuanyang shares this story, drawing on his own personal experiences. When his son was born, Xi Yuanyang's wife endured a lengthy hospitalization to maintain the pregnancy. Finally, at 36 weeks of pregnancy, the baby boy was born safely. This unforgettable journey makes one realize how precious it is to meet a child; every child is a treasure chosen by their parents. Through this book, he shares the joy and profound emotions of parenthood with more parents.

● Parents and children read together, conveying the deepest and most irreplaceable love for each other. This book uses simple, innocent children's language to present conversations between babies and small animals. As children read, they can think about "What kind of mother is my mother?" Will she hold me tightly? Or give me lots of loving kisses? Or perhaps a warm and comfortable hug? As mothers read, they can also recount the details of their pregnancy to their children, strengthening the intimacy between mother and child.

The simple brushstrokes and tones of the illustrations, and the cute shapes of the babies, give people an extremely warm feeling, and also vividly present the close relationship between the little animals and their mothers, as well as the little baby angels' desire for maternal love.

When children read by themselves, they can get to know many cute round animal babies; when mothers read with their babies, they can't help but read page by page, and start kissing and hugging each other after reading the heartwarming picture book.

Features of this book

1. Exclusive interview with the author and illustrator, discussing the creative process of "Thank You for Being My Baby".
2. Newly included are the author and illustrator’s words dedicated to Taiwanese readers.
3. Use this book to express your love for your children in concrete terms and let them know!

Touching recommendation

Fang Gezheng / Clinical Psychologist. Father Li Zhenhui / Picture Book Reading Promoter Xu Yuting / Occupational Therapist. Founder of Xixi Parent-Child Education Center Heidi Doer / Painter Xu Kuangkuang / Illustrator Ju Ma / Xiaopang Ju Big Mouth X Ju Ma Kitchen Fan Page Huang Xinning / Attending Physician at Mackay Children's Hospital Lu Fangfang / Editor-in-Chief of Post-Youth Picture Book Museum. Mother / Mrs. Zhang next door, Doctor Rabbit

Readers' moving response

★Expecting mothers are deeply encouraged. I encountered this book when I was struggling to conceive and was feeling down. It instantly lifted my spirits, warmed my heart, and brought tears to my eyes. After that, I finally became pregnant and was overwhelmed with happiness. This book is like a letter from my son, a profoundly important picture book filled with so many different emotions. Thank you! —33-year-old female

★Expectant mothers preparing for the birth of a new baby will be deeply moved. I received this picture book as a gift before giving birth. I was very anxious about giving birth, but after reading this book, I finally felt that "my little baby is waiting for me!" and my mood changed. During labor, I went through a 36-hour marathon. Although there were times during the process when I felt disappointed and scared and almost gave up, I would think of this book and tell myself, "My little baby is waiting!" I was finally able to overcome the difficulties and give birth to my child. Now, I am busy taking care of my son who just turned three months old. Although every day is hard, I feel happy whenever I pick up this book and read it. --28-year-old female

New postpartum mothers deeply resonate with this book. I encountered this book while I was in the hospital awaiting delivery. The day after giving birth, I asked the hospital nurse to read it to me, and I couldn't help but cry. Thinking about how we didn't give our son much, yet he still came to us and became our child in this way, I can't help but love him even more. --Female NM

Even busy mothers raising young children are full of praise. Six months after my son was born, he's finally learned many things. Even at this stage, he still has the same difficulty falling asleep that he's had since birth. When he was a newborn, he'd cry loudly if he couldn't feed properly... And until recently, he'd get angry if he couldn't roll over properly... He's been learning everything bit by bit, but every day I get angry at him for refusing to get out of bed... After he finally fell asleep, I read this book and cried. I think I need to be gentler with him in the future and love him well. --35 years old, female KY

Xi Yuanyang

Born in Kagoshima Prefecture in 1969. This book, his first picture book, was inspired by his wife's difficult labor when giving birth to their son.

Kuroi Ken (illustrator)

Born in Niigata Prefecture, Japan in 1947, he is a renowned Japanese picture book artist and illustrator. A graduate of Niigata University, he has won the Suntory Art Award and the Red Bird Illustration Award, among other awards. A member of the Japan Children's Artists Association, he established the "Kuroi Ken Picture Book House" in Kiyosato, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan in 2003, which houses a permanent exhibition of his own artwork. His major picture books include "Thank You for Being My Baby," "The Boat in My Dream," and "The Little Bunny Wants a Christmas Present" (Dahao Book House); as well as the famous Japanese fairy tales "The Little Fox A-Kwon," "The Little Fox Buys Gloves," "The Cloud Signal," "Mississippi," "Don't Cry, Don't Cry," "Moon Viewing," "Grandma Ling's Harmonica," and the "Ball Sees the World" series. To date, Kuroi Ken has created over 200 picture books.

Yan Xiuzhu

I was formerly the Editor-in-Chief of EZ Japan and EZ Korea. After becoming a mother, I was often overwhelmed by an inexplicable surge of maternal love. Reading children's books in bookstores that evoke a sense of parental love often brings tears to my eyes. So, I volunteered to translate this book. Although the original text is simple, the simpler the text, the deeper the story's meaning. I believe that by now, the innate maternal love I've built up after having a child, combined with the practice of reading with my children every night, should allow me to tell a wonderful story.

Simijia

An artist and cultural worker, she translates and writes in Chinese, Japanese, and French. She enjoys reading and writing, particularly literature, art, film, music, and nature, which nourish life. Her translations include "Little Bunny Wants a Christmas Present So Badly," "Thank You for Being Daddy's Baby," "Shy Little White Rabbit," "Mom, This Is a Gift for You," "It's Okay to Cry, But Not Too Sadly," "The Road Back to Grandma's House," "The Very Hungry Big Bad Wolf," "Japanese-Style Restaurant," "Paris on the Table," "A Stunning Stroll Through Mount Fuji," "Japanese-Style Department Store," and "Traveling Through Japan on the Shinkansen," among other children's books, picture books, and works on the arts and humanities.