Mom and me - Softcover

Miela Ford

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0439097770 ISBN 13: 9780439097772

Publisher: Scholastic, 1999

Synopsis

Following the baby polar bear as she explores the mysterious world around her, this colourful picture book tells the story of her playful adventures under the watchful eye of her mother.'

About this title

About the Author

Miela Ford grew up in Philadelphia, where whe was born. She was graduated from the Philadelphia College of Art. She now lives in Rochester, New York with her husband and two children.

"I was born and grew up in center-city Philadelphia. I lived in a row house with stone steps in the front. I always liked to sit on those steps. My parents were both photographers. Their studio, office, and darkroom were in our house, so I could always be part of what they were doing. My father left me his love of nature. My mother taught me that anything is possible.

"As a child I had cats and birds and a box turtle that lived in the backyard. I kept a duckling, long enough to watch it grow. I had a baby goat, long enough to learn that goats can’t live in the city.I attended NYU and the Philadelphia College of Art. My degree is in metalwork, but photo-graphy and illustration were always part of my life. I sold drawings and jewelry, and made costumes on Broadway.

"My husband and I have two wonderful child-ren, Jeneva and Max. I loved staying home with them. They reopened my eyes to the wonders of the world. I read them the stories that had been read to me as a child.

"But when Max started school, I went to work for an ocularist. We make custom prosthetic eyes. I sit down with each patient and paint an artificial eye to match his or her real one. This is the only kind of artwork where the best compliment I can get is for no one to notice what I have done.

"My mother, Tana Hoban, went on to become a successful children’s book author/photogra-pher. I thought it would be wonderful to do a book with her. She had taken pictures of a mother and baby elephant, and her editor, Susan Hirschman, thought words would enhance the story. This gave me my chance. I looked at the pictures and tried to find the story that they told. That’s how my first book, Little Elephant, came to be.

"Sunflower was next. I had written the story when my daughter was only three. We planted seeds together, and she was amazed that the sunflowers grew so big. Her reaction inspired the story. I saved it for a long time. When I sent it to Susan Hirschman, she loved it and wanted to publish it. She asked Sally Noll to do the art. Sally’s illustrations added something special to my words.

"In my third book, Bear Play, I took the pictures and wrote the words. Photographing animals allows me to spend a lot of time with them. I love to watch animals, and I listen carefully for their stories."

From Booklist

Ages 3^-8. Charming and inventive are the two best words to describe Ford's latest addition to her repertoire of animal photograph books, which also includes Bear Play (1995). In the simply written, humorous story, illustrated with photographs, a polar bear cub awakens and crawls over its mama, pleading for her to rise and play. Poor lay-about Mom doesn't want to budge. But as every human mother knows, there will be no peace until she does--and the ensuing play session is a rollicking, frolicking delight. Baby bear crawls in and out between its mother's legs, rolls around, and plays follow the leader. Ford's superb pictures add to the fun by offering some good visual puns. Shelley Townsend-Hudson

Edition details

• Publisher: Scholastic
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0439097770
• ISBN 13: 9780439097772
• Binding: Paperback