SHE IS MAMA

Mothers contain multitudes.

Each page of this board book in verse pairs an illustration of a mother and a child with a couplet celebrating a different aspect of maternal love. On the first page, we see a dark-skinned mother touching noses with a light-skinned child while the text describes a mother’s enduring presence (“She is Mama. / She is many things. / Mama is there / for whatever life brings”). Another page features a mother and child with dark skin and textured hair crossing a river on a log, while another shows a brown-skinned, hijab-wearing mother helping a child learn to ride a bicycle (“Mama has patience… / Mama is steady”). The book ends with a variety of diverse mothers and their children superimposed against a large heart. Though at times the text is uplifting, it occasionally lapses into clichés (“Mama is sunshine / each hug is a ray / to brighten your heart / on a cloudy day”), weak rhymes, and unnecessary repetition. The lively illustrations charmingly incorporate detail, color, and movement that make up for these weaknesses. Overall, this is a sweet celebration of motherhood that will hold up as a bedtime read for very young children. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A gentle rhyming board book about the strength of mothers.