Poems of Parenting: A Tender Collection of Poems

by Loryn Brantz

A must-have book for all new and soon-to-be parents, this illustrated collection of tender, funny, radically honest poems about parenthood, based on a series of popular Instagram posts, is the perfect baby shower or Mother’s Day gift.

Modern parenthood can feel indescribable. This poignant collection of poetry and art chronicles the ups and downs of a rollercoaster ride that every parent will recognize. Capturing the joys and frustrations that come with each fleetingly precious (or interminable) stage of development, Poems of Parenting will be a balm to the soul of weary parents.

From fresh baby snuggles to terrible tantrums, and everything in-between, artist Loryn Brantz has touched on something unique and universal in her debut poetry collection based on her popular Instagram series. Poems of Parenting is the perfect companion on any parent’s journey through the uncertain terrain of raising cherished children in extraordinary times.

Genres: Poetry, Parenting, Nonfiction, Humor, Family, Adult

192 pages, Hardcover

Published April 8, 2025

About the author

Loryn Brantz is an Emmy Award–winning author, artist, poet, and director. She is the creator of numerous beloved children’s books, including the best-selling series Feminist Baby and It Had to Be You (Love Poems Your Baby Can See). Her work can be seen on Sesame Street, Elmo's World, Ms. Rachel, and more. Her latest book, Poems of Parenting, is a New York Times bestseller.

Her greatest desire is to make the world a better place through art, even if just a little — but hopefully, a lot. Loryn lives in New York City with her husband, architect Jake J. Brotter, and children, Dalia and Ronen.

Reviews

[whatjordanreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poems of Parenting
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📚 Poetry
🎶 Sweet Child O’ Mine - Guns N’ Roses

One sentence synopsis:
A book of poetry that focuses on a lighthearted yet accurate glimpse of parenting in the first handful of years.

Book Review:
This was so cute! A very short (less than 1hr) read for parents. The poems are pretty much all focused on parenting experience of when your kids were five and younger. Which for me is perfect because my son turns six next month.

I feel like Loryn did a wonderful job of perfectly meshing, the sentimental and sweet and nostalgic parts of parenting with some pretty realistic funny parts too.

This is one of those books where you buy extra copies to give to all your mom friends.

[Brittany Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely ADORED this book! It made me giggle, shed tears, and nod with acknowledgment of feeling so seen as a mother. Thank you, Loryn Brantz for this masterpiece of parenthood summed up in easy to turn to poetry. I will definitely be purchasing this when it releases to turn to regularly.

[Tori Lehmenkuler · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED.

[Earl Pike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Im not crying
Youre crying
What a life
I have an amazing wife

This collection of poems is just… wonderful. Its written from “moms” perspective. Gave me some deeper insight to my wifes psyche. Love love love it.

[Kelsey Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it. Laughed. Cried. Felt so many of these poems deep in my heart.

[Liquidwitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not the target audience but I bought it because her poems are almost word for word what my sister in law says about her day, and loved leafing through all the art and reading the longer poems I haven't seen.

[Chanel O'Reilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars ✨

Super cute funny poetry with simple illustrations that made me feel seen as a mom, laugh, and cry.

[Michayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brb buying this for every mother I know.

[Sarah Fossgreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every poem was so relatable and hit me right in the feels. This was truly a treat!

[Ashley Will · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute with many relatable pieces

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolutely charming book of poetry! She is spot on when it comes to life with toddlers and every poem makes me smile.

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

got this as a mother's day gift for a few people, it's so cute and relatable and lovely!

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, my heart. I was in tears by the end of it. What a beautiful, funny, poignant, realistic look into life as a mother/parent. This resonated with me so much - especially trying to read this in bursts between playing with my 10 month old, changing his diaper, and putting him down for naps. Gorgeously illustrated, cannot wait for my physical copy to get here when it releases.

Thank you so, so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loryn Brantz's Poems of Parenting is a heartfelt and relatable collection that captures the rollercoaster of emotions, triumphs, and challenges that define modern parenthood. Infused with wit, warmth, and honesty, this debut poetry collection pairs evocative verse with charming illustrations, creating a comforting and entertaining read for parents at any stage of their journey.
Poems of Parenting is a delightful, honest, and deeply relatable collection that will resonate with anyone who has experienced the highs and lows of raising children. Loryn Brantz’s ability to find humor and beauty in the chaos of parenthood is both refreshing and comforting. This book is perfect as a gift for new parents or as a self-indulgent treat for anyone who needs to be reminded they’re not alone in the journey. With its blend of heartfelt poetry and whimsical illustrations, Poems of Parenting is a warm hug in book form.

[Shelton Kiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a mother of two, Poems of Parenting was such a sweet and heartfelt reminder that while the days may feel long, the years truly are short. This collection beautifully captures the highs and lows of parenthood—the laughter, the exhaustion, the chaos, and the quiet moments of love in between.

Each poem resonated with a piece of my own journey. It felt like a warm embrace from someone who understands just how messy, emotional, and rewarding parenting can be. This book normalizes the real and raw parts of raising children, while also celebrating the tenderness and joy that comes with it.

A sincere thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this ARC audiobook. It was comforting, affirming, and a lovely companion through the wild ride of motherhood.

[Leah E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never related to a book more in my entire life. It’s as if all the minute troubles that I have experienced as a parent that I always feared no one understood were exposed as being actually quite normal. I seriously plan to get a copy of this for all of my parent friends.
While also being incredibly relatable, these poems were so real and such fun to read! I am reeling from how well they captured parenthood and I loved the humor so much.
I laughed out loud, I got emotional, and I got to relive all the best stages of my children’s early lives.
I feel like this would even be the perfect story to give to a friend or family member who may be expecting a child so that they not only get a little glimpse of what is in store for them, but also know ahead of time that they are not alone in their newfound emotions and struggles.
Lastly, the little sketches were so adorable and fit the poems perfectly.

[Riley Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness this book of poetry was pure joy! As a mother with small children, it was so relatable and such fun to read! It was very refreshing to read about the mundane experiences of parenthood in a comedic light.

I laughed out loud and got emotional remembering the earliest years of parenting and raising my kids. I took so many “screenshots” of different poems, and I can’t wait to have a physical copy to reference back to.

HIGHLY recommend this book, and I can’t wait to purchase it in a physical copy. This would be a great gift for new parents!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[AnaLuz Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection was remarkably accurate.
Even though my kids are a but older now, I felt transported as I read, to so many precious moments, tender hugs, warm and sticky baby hands pulling my hair, endless calls for mami, cries, laughs, sleepless nights.
It was at times hilariously relatable, and sometimes brutally honest.
Parenting, particularly in the youngsters baby, toddlers and little kid time can be so chaotic and messy and sometimes we just want to power through, but also taking the time to remember the good moments is important.

The illustrations reminded me of Shel Silverstein and where a great addition to each poem.

I received a gifted copy from the publisher, all opinions are my own.

[Queena Roquemore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loryn Brantz is a gem.

I really tried to take my time and savor this book of hilarious and way-too-real poems on parenting, but I found myself flying through it. I first stumbled across Brantz on Instagram and instantly fell in love with her whimsical artwork and deeply relatable writing. So much so that I bought this book for two of my sisters-in-law before I'd even read it myself. I just knew that her humor and insight would resonate with any parent.

As if that weren't enough, I learned after reading, that she was featured on one of my favorite Humans of New York posts and that she's also a creative director for Ms. Rachel.

What a delight.
A treasure.
A gem.

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you William Morrow and Epic Tastemakers for my #gifted copy. My thoughts are my own.

This is a lovely, gift-able set of relatable poems about parenting. As Shel Silverstein’s illustrations made his poems better as they are laid out together on the page, so Brantz’ in this book, celebrating and mourning the joys and honest human experience of parenthood (motherhood). The parent portrayed here takes the good and the bad and the downright weird, altogether. How can she possibly capture what I myself have felt so concisely and profoundly?

[Kerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a mom to toddlers, this collection was an absolute delight! So relatable, so heartwarming, so blissfully amusing to reflect on the most weird and wonderful parts of life. I truly enjoyed every second of this collection, and would recommend to so many people in this stage of life, or those who would appreciate a quirky reminder of how life is with new(ish) littles. And the epilogue got me teary. Loved it all!

[Matt Orbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this as a perfect HS poetry book! The kids can learn about poetry basics all while being able to reference some of the fun/annoying/loving things that their parents do to them. I can totally see this generating a ton of engagement especially when the poems about screen time and social media start to come up. It was a really quick read which was nice and you honestly don't even need to cover the whole book if you don't want to. The poems are isolated enough that if you wanted to just use one as a pre-reading activity you totally could! I'm really glad I was able to find this and hopefully you can use it too!

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loryn’s simple poems will definitely resonate with new parents. Heck, they even resonate with old parents like me, and my kids are in their thirties. It’s a testament to Brantz’ talent that even parents with grown children can find humor and connection in her work. A cute read for all stages of the parenting journey!

[Cwellere · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a true gem. This is hands down the best and most relatable poetry book about parenting I have ever read and I can’t wait to gift and recommend it to all my friends who have children.
It made me giggle all the way through the rollercoaster of emotions that was such an accurate representation of a parent’s life. I can’t recommend it enough.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this e-ARC.

[Patti Morin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute - very Shel Silverstein for the parent rather than child. Some of the poems really hit ya in the feels or the lols with their accurate parenting descriptions (see examples * and ** respectively). Other poems rely a bit to heavily on rhyming or the gotcha ending.

*Wish
I used to come here
and wish for you
Now we come here together

**Little Treats
I tell my child
we can't just eat treats
we can't just eat treats
event when all
I eat
is
little
sweet treats

[Kimberly Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice short read! I read this book on Mother’s Day and it made it that much more special. I appreciate the author’s acknowledgment that parenting is hard, but we would never exchange it for anything else. Great read!

[erforscherin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aww, there are some really sweet poems in here, and the illustrations are so charming! I love the way Brantz captures the absurdity of life with tiny humans, and yet so much of her own voice and love shine through.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Darling-relatable-simple-heartwarming. A beautiful gift idea for new parents or those in the thick of the first few years. I’m keeping this one on my coffee table to flip through from time to time.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, delightful, and relatable!

Note: a little bit of language.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This had me giggling 🤭