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Sweet and smart…this is a children’s
book aimed at 4 to 8 year-olds but it is just so awesome. Irrespective of your
age, have a look at this one!
The picture book has three little kids,
two boys and one girl, playing on a beach with two supervising adults. The
three kids are having a conversation as they are playing. The first question to
one of the boys is “If you have a momma and mommy, who fixes things when they
break?”. Then there are a number of questions about everyday things like
cycling. Baseball, cuddling, nightmares, cooking, establishing rules…all the
things that may occur to a child and the boy answers, mommy, momma, both, I do
(empty my pockets) as the case may be.
Written with a lovely metre and rhyme,
the book is utter sweetness. The content is simply so loveable.
A special mention has to be made about
the illustrations. They are amazingly smart. The two mommies are only drawn
waist down, but Momma is the one in skirts and dresses, nail polish and a
feminine body language and Mommy is the one in jeans / capris / shorts and
sneakers.
Between the writer and the illustrator,
they’ve also ensured that none of the two mommies are made to follow gender
definitions in their roles. So the feminine Momma is the one for riding bikes,
flying kites, making scary faces, climbing trees and the sneaker-wearing Mommy
takes him for fishing, bakes, sets up campsite and coaches him for T-ball team.
The sweetest is the illustration to the question, “Does either mom like to pet
a snake?”. The answer is, “Neither mom really likes a snake” and the illustration
has both mommies on a table while the little boy is dealing with a harmless
garden snake.
The illustrations also embrace racial
diversity. Both the mommies are white and their son is coloured.
This is a lovely, lovely book which is
a must-read and share.
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