About the Book

“Saying Bye-Bye to Mama’s Milk: A Gentle Weaning Story” is a tender picture book for toddlers and caregivers navigating the transition from nursing to a new stage of closeness, comfort, and growth.

Created to support—not rush—the weaning journey, the story follows a child from the earliest days of breastfeeding into toddlerhood when the timing changes but the bond with Mama remains strong.

Through familiar moments of cuddling, comfort, bedtime, play, and growing independence, the book offers warm, child-centered language to help families talk about weaning with reassurance and love.

Rather than framing weaning as a sudden ending, “Saying Bye-Bye to Mama’s Milk” presents it as part of growing, with room for feelings, connection, and the reminder that love remains constant.

A Note on Remy’s Name

This story grew out of my own experience weaning my child, and my mother’s artwork reflects the tenderness of that experience. We realize every family’s weaning journey looks different and while we wanted this book to be relatable to as many as possible, we also were aware that our family might look different from yours. 

Just like choosing a name for a child takes time and consideration, I wanted to find a name that could transcend any literal depictions to be as universal as possible, crossing borders, and gender, but not too generic. (That can be a tall order!) 

We considered a variety and landed on Remy, which has roots in Latin and French tradition and one of the few names that could be at home across cultures and used among Hispanic, Black, Asian, and multiracial families in the United States today.

Unlike many popular gender-neutral names, Remy carries no strong cultural or ethnic “ownership.” It leans slightly more often boy, but is genuinely used for children of any gender making it the right fit for a story meant to belong to every family navigating this tender milestone together.

About the Publisher

Saying Bye-Bye to Mama’s Milk: A Gentle Weaning Story is published by Courtney Pulitzer Creations, an independent creative imprint founded by Courtney Pulitzer. Rooted in thoughtful storytelling, family-centered projects, and meaningful life transitions, the imprint reflects Courtney’s longstanding commitment to work that connects people and speaks to real human experience.

To stay informed, or to reach out about press, events, or partnerships, please contact us at courtney (at) pulitzer (dot) com

About the Author: Courtney Pulitzer

Courtney Pulitzer is a writer, publisher, PR/communications professional, and mother whose work has long centered on people, stories, and connection.  She first became known in New York’s emerging dot-com scene in the late 1990s, writing a widely-read column covering the people and companies shaping “Silicon Alley.” She later launched Courtney Pulitzer’s Cyber Scene, a weekly newsletter focused on the events, personalities, trends, and businesses driving the digital world. Her writing and commentary have appeared in and been featured by Yahoo! Internet Life, The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Time Out New York, AlleyCat News, Hamptons Country, Flatiron Magazine, and Empire State Report.  Across a career spanning technology, culture, etiquette, media, business, and the arts, one thread has remained constant: a deep belief in the power of human connection and authentic storytelling.

Saying Bye-Bye to Mama’s Milk: A Gentle Weaning Story grew out of Courtney’s own experience weaning her child from breastfeeding. She found that while so many families go through this transition, very few books exist written for toddlers themselves — stories that help a child understand what is changing while still feeling safe, loved, and close. 

This book was created to offer exactly that: a gentle, reassuring story for children and caregivers moving through weaning together, written to feel like home to as many families as possible. 

About the Illustrator: Charlene Atkinson

Charlene Atkinson is a retired elementary school art teacher, artist, and lifelong advocate for creative education. A graduate of SUNY Buffalo, where she studied Art and Art Education, she built a decades-long career teaching art in public schools — from New York City classrooms to Skaneateles, NY and ultimately to Tucson, where she taught at St. Michael’s, Agua Caliente, and Tanque Verde Elementary Schools. In every classroom she entered, her guiding belief remained the same: that art is transformative, and that every child deserves access to it.

After retiring, Charlene turned that conviction into action. Char’s Art Fund — a grassroots non-profit established in her honor by her husband, George Atkinson — was created to ensure that today’s public school art teachers have the supplies and resources they need to do their work. The fund has made a meaningful impact across the Tanque Verde School District and continues to grow, supporting art teachers and expanding access to creative education for students who need it most.

For Saying Bye-Bye to Mama’s Milk: A Gentle Weaning Story, Charlene brought something no other illustrator could: a grandmother’s love, a teacher’s eye, and a mother’s understanding of just how tender this story truly is. The illustrations in this book are a gift from her to her daughter Courtney — and to every family who finds comfort in these pages.

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