Mother's Day, 1999
The following reviews were presented in our 1999 Mother's Day feature.
Reviews
A Difficult Day
Eugenie Fernandes
Melinda didn't sleep very well last night. This morning she awakened to crumpled sheets and crumbs in her bed. When Melinda got to school, things just seemed to get worse. She was late to class, fell in a mud puddle during recess, and got in a fight with Harold during gym class. Once she got home, Melinda's mom made her take a bath, and although the warm water felt good, even that made Melinda unhappy. This story reminds us of Alexander and his horrible, very bad day. Young readers will enjoy being miserable with Melinda and will be delighted with the ending. This is an excellent read-aloud for the kindergarten classroom, and a fun book to share with your young readers at home. 1999 (orig. 1987), Kids Can Press, Ages 4 to 7, $14.95. Reviewer: Joyce Rice
Daisy Knows Best
Lisa Kopper
Despite lovely colored pencil illustrations of the antics of a dog, her puppies, and a baby, this picture book, which shows Daisy teaching her puppies while "Baby learns, too," seems more a series of pictures than a unified story. Baby and puppies "open" the mail, "set the table," and "go to the bathroom" before going outside where they "clean up" the garbage, dig in the garden, and "fold" the laundry. The ending ("Then Baby tries to teach Mommy. But Mommy doesn't want to learn! Now everyone learns how to have a bath...because mommies know best of all,") doesn't quite tie the episodic elements of the story together, or provide a satisfying conclusion. 1999 (orig. 1998), Dutton, Ages 2 to 4, $12.99. Reviewer: Linnea Hendrickson
Daughter Have I Told You?
Rachel Coyne
Illustrated by Virginia Halstead
This poem captures the essence of the special relationship between a mother and daughter. The illustrations weave the beauty and strength of womanhood into a landscape format. Through the images and forceful words a young girl reflects upon the beauty of becoming a woman. 1998, Henry Holt, Ages 5 to 8, $15.95. Reviewer: Leila Toledo
Erandi's Braids
Antonio Hernandez Madrigal
Illustrations by Tomie DePaola
A Tarascan Indian fishing village, in the state of Michoacan, Mexico, during the 1940s, is the setting for this touching picture book. Young Erandi and her mother are poor and desperately need a new fishing net. They would also both love for Erandi to have a new dress and a doll for her birthday. When Mama's efforts to fulfill these goals by selling her hair fail, Erandi bravely finds a bittersweet solution by selling her longer braids instead. DePaola's bright, folk art type illustrations reflect the Mexican setting and the caring dignity of Erandi and her mother very well. A glossary of Spanish words and an author's note are included. 1999, Putnam's, Ages 5 to 10, $15.99. Reviewer: Gisela Jernigan
Honk!
Chris L. Demarest
Little Goose is lost and he is searching for his mother. Kids accompany him, lifting flaps to see if Mama Goose is there. Caregivers can rest assured knowing that the last flap uncovers Mama whose joy at finding her little one is quite evident. There is nothing terribly original about this story, but it is a book that young kids will enjoy. 1998, Boyds Mills Press, Ages 1 to 3, $9.95. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot
I Love You As Much...
Laura Krauss Melmed
Illustrated by Henri Sorensen
The tender connection between mother and child is universal. Here it is warmly expressed in beautiful paintings that spread across two pages. Each features an animal mother and her offspring. Gentle rhyming verse expresses the mother's love for her child and the soft expressive pictures are a visual delight. This children's picture book really makes a nice transition to board book form. 1998, Tupelo Books, Ages 1 to 3, $6.95. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot
It's Going to be Perfect
Nancy Carlson
Illustrated by Nancy Carlson
In this humorous book the author tells her daughter how she imagined life would be with an infant, toddler, preschooler, etc. She also shows the child what it was really like-3:00 A.M. feedings, potty training setbacks, and more. Every mother's fantasy of the perfect child is offset by the reality of these universal experiences, which are less than perfect. No matter, they strengthen the mother-child bond. The way things have turned out is just right because people (even children) and relationships are never "perfect." Mother's love grows just as surely and steadily as she learns to adapt to the whims of her child. The author lovingly captures the essence of some childhood milestones here. The illustrations hit the mark in this charming book. 1998, Viking, Ages 3 to 8, $15.99. Reviewer: Jeanne K. Pettenati
Lisa Thiesing
Me & You: A Mother-Daughter Album
Juxtaposed watercolor images that represent photographs of a mother as a baby, and her daughter as a baby, fill a photo album. The mother's images are black and white, while the daughter's are in color. The daughter is reminded that as a baby, her mother also burped and pooped just as she had done. They shared having slept, crawled and splashed as babies. They both had parents who loved them. This book is warm and cuddly and would be very reassuring to a young daughter. There are even moments of comic relief. The artwork is not particularly interesting, but certainly communicates the intended message. 1998, Hyperion Books for Children, Ages 2 to 6, $14.95. Reviewer: Kristin Harris
Mister and Me
Kimberly Willis Holt
The time is the 1940's, the setting a Louisiana sawmill town. The theme of change and acceptance, however, is timeless. Jolene's Momma is being courted by a logger and Jolene does not like him. Deep down however, Jolene is unhappy at the thought of anyone taking the place of her dead father. When Jolene learns that the man she calls "Mister" wants to marry her Momma she feels as if she might lose her just like she lost her father. When she gets her chance to hurt Mister she acts on it. The story is heartwarming and the prose lucid, making this a book that is sure to captivate its readers. 1998, G.P. Putnam's Sons, Ages 8 to 12, $13.99. Reviewer: Shalini Murthy
The Moonstones
Jean Thesman
Ms. Thesman has written a seamless novel in this emotionally complex story for young adult readers. Fifteen-year-old Jane goes to her mother's small hometown during summer vacation to help settle her grandmother's estate. When her selfish Aunt Norma and sophisticated cousin Ricki show up, an intriguing plot begins to work its spell. Jane is a quiet girl who plays the violin and has a good relationship with her parents. In spite of herself, and motivated by her desire to meet Cary, a boy with a brilliant smile, Jane sneaks out at night with Ricki to a tawdry amusement park where the tough kids hang out. Both fascinated and repulsed by the manipulative and worldly Ricki, Jane is drawn into a conflict between finding romance and betraying her mother's trust. As a background to this moral challenge, Jane's mother has to deal with unresolved pieces of her own past. Jane's sensitive observations beautifully reveal the emotional undertones of each scene. With boldly drawn characters, realistic dialog, and some very nice descriptive writing, the compelling plot moves confidently to a bittersweet conclusion. Although the book jacket gives the lower age range as 10 years, the emphasis on boys and the plot in general might be too sophisticated and troubling for many girls that age. 1998, Viking/Penguin, Ages 10 to 14, $15.99. Reviewer: Nancy Partridge
Motherlove
Virginia Kroll
Illustrations by Lucia Washburn
This book is a celebration of "Motherlove." Kroll's rhyming text, "Some mothers are furry./ Some mothers are purry;/all mothers are wonderfully warm," points out the common attributes of various mammal and bird mothers, while an accompanying prose text (with a much more advanced vocabulary) provides information about the distinctive characteristics of the various animals depicted, such as "Purring is a vibrating sound of contentment made in the throats of many cats, both wild and domestic." The page-filling illustrations of soft, cuddly, and even smiling llamas, lions, swans, and other animals are large and detailed in warm pastel tones. The attribution of human feelings to animal parents is problematic in a book that also stresses factual information. All mothers in the animal kingdom are not always "fantastic at loving," nor do they keep their young in their "hearts forever." 1998, Dawn Publications, Ages 2 to 8, $7.95. Reviewer: Linnea Hendrickson
No Time for Mother's Day
Laurie Halse Anderson
Illustrated by Dorothy Donohue
As Mother's Day gets closer and closer, Charity becomes increasingly desperate to find a special gift for her busy, but very special Mom. Finally ignoring the inappropriate suggestions of friends and relatives, she comes up with the best gift of all-time. Quiet time, without the noises of bells, buzzes, or beepers. Child-like drawings bring out the humor and hectic, but caring action of the tale. 1999, Whitman, Ages 4 to 8, $14.95. Reviewer: Gisela Jernigan
A Pillow for My Mom
Charissa Sgouros
Illustrated by Christine Ross
A simple pillow carries the weight of this story of love and, perhaps, loss. The language and pictures of this book invite readers to create their own conclusions. Trees in full leaf, bare, and coming into bloom carry out the seasonal motif of the illustrations as they provide support for the story of a young girl struggling to come to grips with her mother's illness and her own sense of loss. Told in first person, this story offers young readers the opportunity to think about more serious issues of life even as they share the experience of making a gift for an absent parent. This book combines the best features of a picture book with readable text. A child just beginning to read will enjoy the story as told through the illustrations, and a slightly older reader will appreciate the freedom to read that the simple text imparts. This book is recommended for children and families in any circumstance. Its ambiguity allows parents and/or teachers the freedom to help children interpret the story in ways appropriate to their own experience. 1998,
Houghton Mifflin Company, Ages 3 to 7, $15.00. Reviewer: Linda Uhlenkott
Strudel Stories
Joanne Rocklin
In this nostalgic collection of stories, three generations of strudel makers share personal histories with children of the next generation. These stories are presented as the secret ingredient to an excellent homemade strudel. In Sarah's kitchen, we hear tales of Eastern European Jewry involving a little boy who cheated death twice. In Bertie's kitchen, we hear about the immigration of a little girl who had the courage to turn her coat inside out when the feared Ellis Island medical inspector marked her with the dreaded chalk "X." Willy, a grandfather with a gift in the kitchen and a huge love for baseball, tells about the orphaned refugee boy accepted into his family after the Holocaust. Classroom teachers could use this book as a resource for an immigration unit. The stories are very sweet, like the pastry they are named for. Several segments discuss the mechanics of strudel making and depict children helping in the kitchen, waiting to be entertained by stories. 1999, Delacorte, Ages 8 to 12, $14.95. Reviewer: Jackie Hechtkopf
Thanks To My Mother
Schoschana Rabinovici
Translated from the German by James Skofield
Schoschana Rabinovici, born Susie Weksler, survived three concentration camps and unimaginable horrors, all before she was twelve years old. In this fascinating book, she tells us more than most of us want to know about the Holocaust, shows how her mother managed to smuggle her in a backpack through the lines of prisoners, disguise her as an adult, and keep her as safe as humanly possible. By the end of the war, only three of her entire family remained. Rabinovici makes clear that her survival was due to her mother's strength and love. 1998, Dial, Ages 12 up, $17.99. Reviewer: Judy Silverman
You're Just What I Need
Ruth Krauss
Illustrated by Julia Noonan
What is more wonderful than the precious times spent between mother and child? Nothing. Krauss helps set the stage for this realization by bringing to life one of these very special moments using a wonderful and silly guessing game. Noonan's soothing illustrations add a comforting quality that is representative of the ideal mother/child relationship portrayed by Krauss. Originally published as The Bundle Book. 1998 (orig.1951), HarperCollins, Ages 3 to 7, $14.95. Reviewer: Trina Heidt
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