My Mom and Me by Alyssa Satin Capucilli, Susan Mitchell (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

Follow mothers and their children on a sweet adventure through every season!

When it's only my mamá and me....

We sip cocoa in mugs,

And share frosty nose hugs.

We twirl on the ice and shout, ?WINTER'S NICE!"

When it's only my mamá and me.

When it's only my ima and me...

We let our kites fly,

And watch clouds dancing by.

We smell flowers and sing, ?HOORAY! IT'S SPRING!?

When it's only my ima and me.

The double flaps in this book reveal mothers and children of different cultures as they share special moments. This book is perfect for Mother's Day or any day of the year.

Children's Literature

A young boy enjoys an autumn day with his mom walking in leaves, swaying in a swing, and sharing a picnic lunch. Then a small girl and her "mami" (Spanish) builds a snowman, twirls on ice, and shares a nose hug on a winter outing. The springtime scene features a boy and his "ima" (Hebrew) flying kites, watching clouds, and smelling flowers. A girl and her "mama" (Mandarin) frolic on the seashore in the summer. The closing segment features a girl and her "maa" (Hindu) blowing bubbles and sharing good night kisses. Each double-page spread has an attached double flap which extends into another page. The illustrations are rather static and the extension does not contribute anything of significance. Although different words are used for "mother," the figures in the pictures look much the same from one page to the next. The potential of the book for contributing to multicultural understanding is minimal. Reviewer: Phyllis Kennemer, Ph.D.

Kirkus Reviews

Five different motherandchild pairs enjoy each other's company in a simple book that makes a stab at multiculturalism without quite succeeding. In succession, child and mom, mami, ima, mama and maa play, presumably in English, Spanish, Hebrew, Mandarin and Hindi, respectively. Doublefold pages lend mild interest, as opening them reveals a continuation of the text and extends the scene. Mitchell's illustrations, although they attempt ethnic accuracy in the characters, place the mothers and children against blandly undistinguishable backgrounds that make Israel and India look equally like Indiana. Marla Stewart Konrad's Mom and Me (2009) does a much better job of celebrating diversity. A virtually identical companion, My Dad and Me (9781416958291), will be out in April 2009. (Novelty picture book. 25)

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