Mama Do You Love Me?: Board Book ANNOTATION
A child living in the Arctic learns that a mother's love is unconditional.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
With more than a million copies sold worldwide, this universal story of a child testing the limits of her independence demonstrates that the special love between parent and child is a bond that transcends all boundaries of time and place. This tender story is now available in a 10th Anniversary Commemorative edition with a cloth cover and limited edition, frameable print.
Author Biography: Barbara M. Joosse is the author of nearly twenty books for children. She lives in a little stone house in Wisconsin.
Barbara Lavallee's vibrant watercolor illustrations are well-known for their depictions of a wide range of Alaskan life. She lives in Alaska.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
A decade ago, PW called Barbara Joosse's Mama, Do You Love Me?, illus. by Barbara Lavallee, "a striking volume which uses a timeless culture to convey a timeless message." Chronicle celebrates the book's success with a 10th anniversary commemorative edition that includes a fabric jacket and a limited edition print of mother and child. (Sept.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Children's Literature - Susie Wilde
The mother in this book portrays healthy unconditional love and acceptance and the bond she has with her child is respectful, honest and reassuring. Although it has an Arctic setting, it shows an appreciation for both the differences of culture and the universality of mother's love. The colors are vivid, the range of emotions broad, the wordplay rhythmic and the message honest. When Dear One, the child, asks "What if I put salmon in your parka, ermine in your mittens, and lemmings in your mukluks?" her mother answers: "Then I would be angry...but still I would love you." This repeated question-answer format shows a typical, playful, and fully conscious dialogue of love between a child and mother.
Children's Literature - Jan Lieberman
This book is set in the Arctic and is a love story between an Inuit mother and child. Mama tells her little one just how much she is loved by comparing her to the animals who love things dear to them. "I love you more than...the dog loves his tail, more than the whale loves his spout." The vibrant watercolor paintings of images of animals and patterns common in the far north are stunning. An excellent glossary of all the animals mentioned is included. A terrific gift book.
School Library Journal
Pre-School- Grade 2
A young girl asks how much her mother loves her, even when she is naughty, and receives warm, reassuring answers. The twist on this familiar theme is that the two are Inuits, and the text and pictures draw on their unique culture: "What if I put salmon in your parka, ermine in your mittens, and lemmings in your mukluks?'' asks the girl. Two pages of back matter define and explain the functions of various terms in Inuit life past and present. Charming, vibrant watercolor illustrations expand the simple rhythmic text, adding to the characters' personalities and to the cultural information. Ceremonial masks appear in the corner of several pages and on the endpapers, a nice detail in a well-designed book.
-- Kathleen Odean, Moses Brown School, Providence, RI
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