Jewel, ‘That’s What I’d Do’ Is Singer’s First Children’s Book

Jewel is in Mommy mode, both personally and professionally. Following her two children's albums -- 2009's 'Lullaby' and last year's 'The Merry Goes 'Round' -- the singer-songwriter now has a new children's book, 'That's What I'd Do,' set to hit stores Sept. 18.

"I wanted to create a children's music book for quite a long time," the new mom to 8-month-old Kase tells People. "[So] when I got pregnant, it was finally a great chance to get it written and really make it something that I hoped my son would like."

Jewel certainly has been plotting the project for a while. She told The Boot back on the 2011 Grammy Awards red carpet that penning a children's book was a dream of hers, explaining, "Some of the songs are so visual that I really would love to do little drawings and make little books out of them."

'That's What I'd Do' features illustrations by Amy June Bates and was inspired by Jewel's song, 'What I'd Do.' The hardcover book also comes with a CD that Jewel suggests parents play in the car, followed by reading the book at bedtime -- using both as tools to teach children about rhyming.

"To me this is just a love story to your child," Jewel explains. "I'm really excited for moms to get to sit down and read this to their babies, because it's really a devotion for lyrics."

The book's very first fan is Jewel's son, Kase Townes Murray, born July 11, 2011. "He smiled," Jewel answered People when asked about her baby's first reaction to the book. But there's one part of the story that leaves its author a little weepy.

"The very last page of the book shows a mom leaning in really close and touching noses with her baby," Jewel explains. "It's so sweet, it makes me tear up every time."