The First Thing My Mama Told Me - Hardcover

Swanson, Susan Marie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0152010750 ISBN 13: 9780152010751

Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books, 2002

Synopsis

Even though seven-year-old Lucy is now too big to use a stool to reach the sink and to write on the floor, she will never be too big for her name, which follows her everywhere, and she will always love her parents, who chose the name "Lucy" just for her. 20,000 first printing.

About this title

About the Authors

SUSAN MARIE SWANSON is a visiting poet in schools and a contributing editor for the Riverbank Review. She lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

CHRISTINE DAVENIER is the illustrator of the award-winning Iris and Walter books, written by Elissa Haden Guest, and many other popular children's books. She lives in Paris, France.

SUSAN MARIE SWANSON is a visiting poet in schools and a contributing editor for theRiverbank Review. She lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

CHRISTINE DAVENIER is the illustrator of the award-winning Iris and Walter books, written by Elissa Haden Guest, and many other popular children's books. She lives in Paris, France.

Reviews

reSchool-Grade 2-A pleasing departure from the trend toward books that deal with a child's dislike of his or her name, this title begins, "When I was born, the first thing my mama told me was my name." Lucy's name comes from a "long-ago word for light" and shines for her as a constant reminder of her uniqueness and special place in the world. It is iced on her first birthday cake, painted on the stool she uses to get a drink of water, and scribbled everywhere her three-year-old hand can reach. Lucy eats pancakes shaped like the letters of her name and later helps her baby sister finish eating the letters of hers. The story ends as the child receives a flashlight for her seventh birthday; she writes her name in light across the sky, and it goes "flying out into the big, starlit night." Davenier's pencil, ink, and pastel illustrations lend a timeless quality, and details in the pictures enhance the telling, from Lucy's name embroidered on her pom-pom cap to her dog licking plates of pancakes and birthday cake. The final spread of Lucy's name in the night sky is the only illustration in which color extends to the edges of the pages, filling them with her exuberance and contentment. This book could be well used as a cozy bedtime story or with a group of preschoolers taking the first important steps toward writing and celebrating their own names, and will make a welcome addition to most collections.
Martha Link, Louisville Free Public Library, KY
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Swanson (Letter to the Lake) and Davenier (the Iris and Walter books) make much of a modest premise in this affectionate and inviting tale, in which a seven-year-old remembers the ways her family has celebrated her name. "Lucy," she tells us, was the first word her mother said to her. Her uncle painted her name on a stepstool. Her father made her pancakes in the shapes of the letters: "My name tasted wonderful," she remembers. In Davenier's (the Iris and Walter books) kinetic mixed-media drawing, Lucy stands over the table, looking on with fascination as her father eases a pancake "L" onto her plate. On the opposite page, she sits with her arms around her middle, jam smeared all over her cheeks, eyes closed, with a contented smile on her lips. On her seventh birthday, her family (now including a younger sister) celebrates with a birthday cake out on the porch, and Lucy's mother gives her a flashlight. In a final exuberant spread, Lucy uses the beam of light to write her name across the night sky. Davenier delights in the smears and scribbles Lucy and her sister leave behind. Calligraphic strokes across mirrors, shirts, playgrounds, etc., become signatures of the girls' discovery of the world around them. Like the lived-in look of the art, Swanson's simple, expressive language is just right for the story of a girl whose family adores her, and who grows securely within that love. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Gr. K-2. On her birthday, Lucy reflects on some meaningful childhood experiences from each of her seven years. Her sweet, often humorous recollections beautifully convey her expanding abilities and growing independence. At two, armed with the stool Uncle David made with her name painted on it in big red letters, Lucy "stood on my name to get a cup of water all by myself." At three, she took to scribbling her name on everything, including herself and the floor. And on the first day of kindergarten, when she found her name above a coat hook, she knew just where to hang her sweater. Davenier's delightful pictures are a great match for the text. Using a combination of pencil, ink, and pastel, she achieves a spunky, freespirited look that mirrors Lucy's personality. Pair this with Kevin Henkes' Chrysanthemum (1991), about a mouse girl who loves, then hates, then loves her unusual name. Lauren Peterson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0152010750
• ISBN 13: 9780152010751
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Davenier Christine
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 40