Mama's Coming Home - Hardcover

Kate Banks; Tomek Bogacki

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0374347476 ISBN 13: 9780374347475

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 2003

Synopsis

Mama’s back from work!

“Mama’s coming home,” says Papa. And that’s all it takes to get this rambunctious household – two boys, a baby, a dog, and a cat – to settle down. As they pitch in, preparing dinner and straightening up the house, Mama crosses the bustling city, eager to be with her family. Tomek Bogacki’s clever illustrations and Kate Banks’s rhythmic text capture the spirit of activity and anticipation as finally, at the end of the day, their two worlds come together. Children will delight in sharing in the celebration of this everyday homecoming.

About this title

Review

It’s after six, and Mama has a long commute home from work--she must make her way through the streets, past a pet store, down to the train, through the rain, past the streetlights, and up the walk to her urban brownstone. Meanwhile, Modern Dad (complete with flowered apron) has plenty of time to make a pizza for dinner and feed the baby, all the while supervising two boys, a dog, and a cat. This singsong story, with "Mama’s coming home" as the refrain, marches forth through time as rhythmically as the clock going "tick tock" on the wall: "Boys are sprawling on the floor / Baby’s crawling toward the door / The sidewalk throbs with footsteps / Mama’s coming home" We’ve encountered the creative teamwork of Kate Banks and Tomek Bogacki before in The Bird, the Monkey, and the Snake in the Jungle and The Turtle and the Hippopotamus. Bogacki treats his human subjects with intriguing angles and rather delicious colors as he neatly juxtaposes the chaos of home with that of the busy outside world. Young children will certainly relate to both the anticipation of and preparations for a parent returning from work: "Kisses flying / No more crying /Mama’s at the door." (Ages 3 to 6) --Karin Snelson

About the Author

Kate Banks is the author of many acclaimed picture books and novels for children, including The Night Worker, winner of the Charlotte Zolotow Award. She lives in the South of France.

Tomek Bogacki has written and illustrated several books for children, including Five Creatures by Emily Jenkins, an ALA Notable Book and a Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor Book. He lives in New York City.

About this edition

• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0374347476
• ISBN 13: 9780374347475
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32