Inspired by an art therapist’s growing pains during the final trimester of a challenging first pregnancy experience, The Days Before I Met You highlights the emotionally-charged days leading up to birth of a child, which is also the birth of a parent. With playful prose and whimsical doodles followed by inspiring prompts for personal reflection, creative writing, and art-making, this participatory picture book is ideal for first-time expectant parents seeking creative coping tools to manage anxiety during the perinatal period. Wow. A book I wish I had had, and will be giving out with reckless abandon. Sharon is doing us all a great kindness by making her art therapy lens accessible and approachable to everyone in their perinatal period. Reading her gorgeous story about her journey to motherhood, and then recording one's own multicolored multidimensional story is a gift. The "creative reflections" part of this book is especially valuable to anyone trying to find space to be present and calm in a precious, but precarious time of their life. I will be adding this book to my prenatal education toolkit, and I am quite sure it will have a measurable positive effect on perinatal mental health outcomes. - Dana Gerschel, Certified Birth Doula (CD-DONA) Sharon Itkoff Nacache has written a delightful interactive book of pictures and poetry to accompany and offer help to young mothers during their pregnancy. Whimsical, sensitive and inspiring, this short book could be a supportive and calming tool to the universal experience of perinatal anxiety. - Graciela Abelin-Sas Rose MD Psychoanalyst and Family therapist The Days Before I Met You is a charming story about two parents expecting their first child, and the different questions and fresh ideas that come to mind in the months leading up to birthing their baby into the world - and their newest selves into parenthood. Sharon's imagery is playful, fluid, and vibrant, evoking the novelty and flow of each passing month that brings about countless physical, mental, and emotional changes. I especially adore the inviting space this book creates after its lovely ABAB rhyming scheme, encouraging parents to get in touch with their own story by engaging with the provided prompts and blank pages through words and symbols. Creative writing and art-making can provide an outlet for self-expression that can help new parents soothe their anxieties, improve relaxation, and focus on being present during this fleeting time of immense growth and transition. As a clinician, I would highly recommend The Days Before I Met You as a helpful tool for anyone on their parenting journey, and also as a story to read to small children to spark their curiosity and share with them the wonder that is the perinatal experience. - Lindsey Kretschy MPS, LPAT, ATR-BC, NATC Licensed Professional Art Therapist & Narcissistic Abuse Treatment Clinician I think the fact that this is for ALL members of the family is just a great approach. Children will find this story interesting and it really brings the child's experience and the mother's experience together. I especially like the journaling questions at the end - I think it's very encouraging. And since we will all do much for a child that we don't do for ourselves, a lot of moms will be really interested in reading this, doing the journaling, and sharing with their children. - Leslie Butterfield Ph.D Speaker, Educator, Clinician There are so many books that focus on the relationship once the baby arrives, but this captures the beauty of the "before." That unique time where we are readying ourselves for the biggest transition that we will ever experience. - Jane Johnson Wall, MA, LMFT, PMH-C Marriage & Family Therapist/ Perinatal Mental Health Certification ______________________________________________________________________________ In The Days Before I Met You, Sharon Itkoff Nacache offers a tender, visually captivating, and emotionally resonant journey through the landscape of pregnancy and the anticipation of meeting a new child. With gentle, warm-toned illustrations that soothe the senses and invite quiet reflection, this book is more than a narrative—it is an experience of presence, intimacy, and creativity. From the first page, Sharon captures the essence of waiting, longing, and becoming. Her words convey not only the personal transformation that pregnancy brings, but also the quiet, sacred dialogue between mother and child that unfolds long before birth. Each illustration mirrors this emotional journey—soft, soulful, and inviting—evoking the beauty and vulnerability of this deeply human time. What makes this book especially remarkable is the space it creates for the reader's own process. In the final section, Sharon turns the narrative outward, offering readers a deeply thoughtful and therapeutic invitation to engage with their own inner world. Through a collection of guided creative prompts—ranging f