MY MAMA IS A MECHANIC

In this follow-up to My Papa Is a Princess (2018), a young child lists the many roles their mama performs.

In paired digitally created images, usually double-page spreads, the child describes a series of occupations, some fanciful and some not. The first image depicts Mama engaged in some grand pursuit with text that reads “My mama is…,” while the second image concludes the statement and depicts reality. She drives a monster truck in an arena in one image, while the next depicts her holding a cardboard-box truck; in another pairing, she wears scrubs, suturing a patient while her child holds a tray of tools in the first image, while the second reveals her sewing up the abdomen of a ripped teddy bear. Other roles she pursues are: chemist (cooking), quarterback (tossing a football with her child), treasure hunter (discovering lost items under the sofa cushions), architect (playing with blocks), hot lava rescuer (playing make-believe), superhero (more make-believe), and mechanic (attaching training wheels to her child’s bike). While it’s a little too bad that readers don’t see any actual occupation this mama may pursue aside from motherhood (wouldn’t it be awesome if she really were a surgeon?), the depiction of a black mother and her child stands out among similar titles that depict either white humans or animals.

Sweet recognition of mothers’ myriad talents.