Your Kind of Mommy
PreS—In comparing a human mother and child to their animal counterparts, this book finds a way to be original and sweet without being sappy. A repetitive pattern in the text is given dynamic form through the drama of the turning of the page. Throughout the book, the first of two spreads presents an animal in its natural setting, in one case a stream in the jungle: "If I could be an elephant,/my trunk would sprinkle you…." The following pages then show the mother and child together, "But I'm not THAT kind of mommy,/and I know my baths will do." The illustrator makes connections between the two spreads so that, in this example, a toy elephant sits on the edge of the bathtub. In another pairing, timber wolves are depicted howling at the moon on a starlit night. On the next page, the mother sings lullabies to her child, the same sky behind them, as they snuggle on a porch swing. The art is vibrant and expressive, with the mother and child making a friendly and secure duo. The text is printed in a curve, adding to the fluidity of the page; it encapsulates the book's theme with a final statement, "No—I am not an octopus,/I'm not a wallaby/but I am YOUR kind of mommy,/And that's the best thing I could be!" This celebration of mothers will get young listeners thinking about some of the basic connections among all creatures.—Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MICopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.