This rhyming poem from parent to child begins with the message, “You come from love,” and goes on to explore where that love itself originates—“Love from the universe, love from the stars”; love from God, family, ancestors, the motherland and earth, and from “the promise that brought us to you.”
Soothing and evocative, the verses may become a nighttime ritual for many families. Potential readers should note, however, that the book includes the line, “Love from the God that made you who you are,” which may resonate with some but cause those with a more atheistic bent to hesitate. Choose it if it feels right for you.
The publisher’s blurb tells us that the book was “Written as a parent’s personal answer to his twin daughters’ questions about their origin,” because “Inevitably, children born through surrogacy have questions about their birth,” but there is nothing here about specific methods of family creation. Contrast Kim Bergman’s You Began as a Wish, which starts with a similar tone but then moves on to discuss in the simplest of terms that every child comes from four things: an egg, a sperm, a womb, and a home, which can be obtained in various ways. That’s not to say one approach is better or worse; it depends upon what you’re looking for at the moment. For those wanting a less literal approach to discussing origins and who are comfortable with the mention of God, You Come From Love is a lovely choice.
