Jenna Bush Hager, Barbara Pierce Bush to Release New Children’s Book Celebrating Parenthood

Barbara Bush and Jenna Bush Hager attend the Third Annual UNICEF Masquerade Ball in New York City on Dec. 13, 2012. Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for UNICEF

Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush, the daughters of former President George W. Bush, are set to publish a new children’s book that celebrates the endearing bond between parents and their children.

Bush Hager, 43, unveiled the forthcoming publication, “I Loved You First,” during a recent episode of her morning show, “Today With Hoda & Jenna.”

“It was so fun to write it,” she told her co-host, Hoda Kotb, on Dec. 9.

“I feel like there were tears, and we have an incredible illustrator, so all of the pictures are really beautiful,” Bush Hager added.

The book, which is set to be released on March 25, features colorful illustrations by Ramona Kaulitzki, a New York Times bestselling illustrator based in Potsdam, Germany.

According to an official synopsis, the publication offers “an expansive and gently whimsical celebration of parental love.”

“There is nothing more important than the time we spend together,” the synopsis reads in part. “The special moments between a mother or father and their child are some of the most memorable and precious in our lives.”

Bush Hager said the uplifting narrative highlights the transformative experience of a parent viewing the world through their children’s eyes. “Which is, if we allow it, super magical,” she offered.

“I Loved You First” is a companion to the twins’ New York Times bestselling children’s books “Sisters First” (2017) and “Love Comes First” (2023).

The sisters are slated to embark on a tour next year in conjunction with their upcoming picture book.

‘I Loved You First’

Bush Hager and her sister, who are fraternal twins, are both mothers.

Bush Hager shares three children with her husband of 16 years, Henry Chase Hager: daughters Mila, 11, and Poppy, 9, and son Hal, 5.

Pierce Bush, who is one minute older than her sister, shares two children with her husband, actor and screenwriter Craig Coyne. The couple, who wed in 2018, had their first child, daughter Cora, in September 2021, before welcoming their son, Edward, in August of this year.

In a separate “Today” segment, aired the same day, Bush Hager said the book was written shortly after her sister welcomed her second child.

“So it kind of is an ode to what it feels like to be a mom,” she said.

“It’s a story inspired by nature, and it kind of reminds me of like a Mary Oliver poem,” she continued. “It’s all about what it feels like to know your child from the very first moment.”

Former President George W. Bush's daughters Jenna and Barbara have their photo taken in the East Room at the White House in Washington prior to the unveiling of the president's official portrait. Charles Dharapak/AP Photo

Mary Oliver is one of Bush Hager’s favorite poets. The former first daughter told “Today” that she considers the late writer’s poetry to be incredibly “cathartic and beautiful.”

“I love her work. It’s about nature and love and what it means to be human,” Bush Hager added.

Oliver died in 2019 at the age of 83, leaving behind a lasting legacy in her many works, which largely underscored the intersections between humans and the natural world.

Earlier this month, Bush Hager picked Oliver’s 2017 book “Devotion” as her December selection for her book club, “Read With Jenna.”

The anthology features more than 200 of the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer’s best poems, including “Wild Geese,” published in Oliver’s 1986 book “Dream Work,” as well as “The Summer Day” and “The Swan” from the author’s 1990 publication “House of Light.”

“When life feels uncertain, I find comfort in a few things: stepping outside into nature, leaning into my faith, or picking up poetry, Bush Hager shared via Instagram on Dec. 4. “Mary Oliver’s poems, in particular, feel like a warm hug.

“Her words take me back to childhood memories of lying under the stars with my grandmother Jenna, who would read her poems to me,” she continued.

“When my grandmother passed in 2019, I read Oliver’s ‘When I Am Among the Trees’ at her funeral—a poem that will always remind me of her.

“As we close out this year, I hope you’ll join me in finding solace and joy in Devotions,” she added. “Whether you’ve read Mary Oliver a hundred times or are just picking up her work for the first time, I hope you’ll join me in reading this month.”