May 2008

Book Reviews
Books Celebrating Mothers

By Mary Quattlebaum

Dig into books about Mother Earth and human moms.

babies/toddlers

Big Yellow Sunflower
by Frances Barry
Candlewick, 2008, $5.99
A simple, rhythmic text and bright illustrations describe plant development from seed to seedling to full-grown flower. An added bonus: each page opens out to form a round petal, giving little ones a chance to “grow” their own flower.

Mother’s Song: A Lullaby
adapted by Ellin Greene, illustrated by Elizabeth Sayles
Clarion, 2008, $17
Based on an old English folk song, these tender rhymes – “no silk was ever spun so fine/as is the hair of baby mine”– will soothe even the crankiest youngster while the soft-toned pastels lull little eyes to sleep. The artist’s images of fairies recall the beautiful, mysterious sprites of Shakespeare’s time rather than today’s spangly version.

ages 3 – 6

And the Good Brown Earth
by Kathy Henderson
Candlewick, 2003, $6.99 pbk.
There is a time for digging, for planting and for resting, as Joe learns when he and Gram visit the vegetable patch throughout the year. Playful language (Joe’s plants are described as “higgledy-piggledy, tangly, FANTASTIC”), a refrain and mixed-media artwork draw youngsters into this tale of seasonal change.

Still My Grandma
by Veronique Van den Abeele, illustrated by Claude Dubois
Eerdmans, 2007, $16
Like many kids, Camille relishes the time she spends with Grandma. They look at old pictures, finger Grandma’s trinkets and treasures and feed the ducks at the park. But then Grandma becomes forgetful and the little girl learns she is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. This gentle story will speak to youngsters in a similar situation. “Sad that Grandma has changed so much,” Camille figures out new ways to show her love, such as helping to wash Grandma’s hair and sharing her own treasures.

ages 7 – 11

Just Mom and Me
edited by Erin Falligant, illustrated by Stacy Peterson
American Girl, 2008, $9.95
Tweens can quiz their moms – and moms can quiz right back, thanks to this lively compendium of games and activities. The hot-pink cover and colorful page borders lure young readers in, and they’ll stick around to discover mom’s most embarrassing moment and funkiest fashion. Sure to spur lots of cross-generational giggles and chats.

Buffalo Music
by Tracey Fern, illustrated by Lauren Castillo
Clarion, 2008, $16
Fictional Molly is based on the feisty Mary Ann Goodnight of West Texas, who helped save the nearly extinct buffalo in the late 1800s. Like her real-life counterpart, Molly raises orphan buffalo calves and sends many to national parks and wildlife refuges to help build up the herds. Kids will cheer this “buffalo mama,” one of America’s first conservationists.

The Storyteller’s Candle/La Velita de los Cuentos
by Lucia Gonzalez, illustrated by Lulu Delacre
Children’s Book Press, 2008, $16.95
“The library is for everyone,” says Pura Belpre, inviting recent emigrants to help plan a Three Kings Day festival in the 1930’s. Homesick for sunny Puerto Rico, Hildamar and Santiago can’t believe this librarian speaks Spanish, like them, and shares their traditions. This heart-warming bilingual English/Spanish story pays tribute to Belpre, and the collage artwork extends the homage by using newspaper accounts of the event.

The Dirt on Dirt
by Paulette Bourgeois, illustrated by Martha Newbigging
Kids Can, 2008, $15.95
Did you know that the oldest rocks are more than 4.4 billion years old? That Charles Darwin played music for his earthworms? That pirates booby-trapped their buried treasure more than 200 years ago? Kids can get the dirt on Mother Earth in this entertaining work of nonfiction.

Mother Nature Goes Nuts: Amazing Natural Disasters
by Klutz editors
Klutz, 2008, $16.95
Hurricanes, floods and tornadoes wreak havoc across the world. Kids can take a whirlwind tour of historical natural disasters, from the volcanic destruction of Pompeii in 79 A.D. to the tsunami that killed people and flattened homes in 10 countries in 2006. The set includes hands-on activities, a tiny twister in a bottle and a look at the latest technology for prediction and rescue.

Mary Quattlebaum is a mother and the author most recently of Sparks Fly High (Colonial American folktale) and Jackson Jones and the Curse of the Outlaw Rose (chapter book). You can contact her at www.maryquattlebaum.com, which has information on her 15 award-winning children’s books and presentations at schools and conferences.