Me and My Mama

February 15, 2022
Rhyming couplets describe the daily life of active, curious young children and their doting mamas. Each first-person verse is written from a youngster's perspective. There is no need to announce that the children are loved since their interactions with their mothers firmly establish this fact. Caregivers of tykes will smile at the text's nod to the relentless nature of parenting: "Mama's sleeping like a rock, but when I knock, she's on the clock." The day unfolds with breakfast, playtime, lunch, reading, a romp in the park, a walk, making pizza, tending boo-boos, bathtime, and a lullaby before "nighty-night." Always, mother and child are together. Nap time, when mama might get a moment to herself, is the only activity missing. Weatherford's rhymes work. Her succinct wordplay is child friendly and evocative: "I yawn and ask her one more 'why.' " Corrin's equally deft and uncluttered illustrations add playful details to the simple stanzas. The children are never identified as male or female, but all are clearly Black. The facial features, body builds, skin tones, and hair textures of each mother-child pair are different, allowing a range of Black readers to find themselves reflected in the joyous pictures. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A lovely celebration of the bond between mother and child. (Board book. 0-3)

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May 1, 2022

PreS-K-Weatherford's board book poem is about the happiness that comes from time spent between mother and child. At first, the initial rhyme of "knock" with "on the clock" makes it seem like this will be a story about motherhood being a job. Instead, what unfolds is a joyous celebration of everyday moments: reading together, building a pillow fort, playing on a playground. The spare text has a gentle rhythm. Corrin's illustrations expand the poem from a story of one mother and child to many, by pairing each couplet with a different Black family, allowing for a wide variety of skin tones to be depicted. VERDICT A delight for story hours or for parents to share with little ones, and a beautiful meditation on the ordinary around us.-Chance Lee Joyner

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