My Momma Likes to Say - Hardcover

Brennan-Nelson, Denise

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1585361062 ISBN 13: 9781585361069

Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press, 2003

Synopsis

From the author of Buzzy the Bumblebee comes a child's hilarious visual interpretation of such parental idioms and witticisms as "Hold your horses;" "Money doesn't grow on trees;" and "I have eyes in the back of my head." "Cat got your tongue?" My momma likes to say. I'm not sure what she means but I like it anyway. My cat has never tried to take my tongue away. But if he did, he'd find that it can stretch a long, long way.

About this title

About the Authors

Denise Brennan-Nelson has written a number of books for children, including Tallulah: Mermaid of the Great Lakes, Leopold the Lion, Someday Is Not a Day of the Week, My Momma Likes to Say, and the popular Willow series. As a national speaker, Denise encourages adults and children to tap into their imaginations to create richer, fuller lives. She travels the country, sharing her reading and writing enthusiasm with schoolchildren and teachers. Denise lives in Howell, Michigan with her husband, Bob. She strives to spend each day teaching and learning with a creative spirit. Find out more about Denise at www.denisebrennannelson.com.

Jane Monroe Donovan's parents encouraged her to follow her heart and it led to her love of sketching and painting. Her affection for animals is reflected in much of her subject matter. Jane makes her home in Pinckney, Michigan, with her husband and their two sons, along with a menagerie of pets. Jane is the author and illustrator of Winter's Gift.

Reviews

PreSchool-Grade 3-Brennan-Nelson introduces children to cliched expressions by setting them in a poetic format: "`When life hands you lemons, make lemonade,'/my momma likes to say./I'm not sure what she means/but I like it anyway." Each poem continues with a response to the saying: "If life gives me lemons/I'll squeeze them good and hard./Then add some sugar, stir it up/and sell it from our yard." Many of the rhymes do not scan well. In small type, the idioms are further explained with questions, followed by trivia, historical information, and, in the case of the lemon quote, a recipe for lemonade. Some of these entries are choppy and filled with non sequiturs, while others are quite interesting. Donovan's color illustrations are uneven-"Sleep tight. Don't let the bed bugs bite" shows three adorable creatures happily snoozing alongside the boy narrator, but the spreads for "Cat got your tongue?" and "I have eyes in the back of my head" are disturbing to look at. One page invites children to "write the things your momma says to you." For books on idioms, libraries would do better to get another copy of Marvin Terban's In a Pickle and Other Funny Idioms (Clarion, 1983) or Loreen Leedy and Pat Street's There's a Frog in My Throat (Holiday, 2003).
Bina Williams, Bridgeport Public Library, CT
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 2-4, younger for reading aloud. Proverbs, aphorisms, and maxims get new life in this book that clarifies sayings that kids might have heard but don't completely understand, such as "Money doesn't grow on trees"; "It's raining cats and dogs"; and "Hold your horses." Each two-page spread comprises a sprightly rhyme (the rhymes don't always scan well); a painting that illustrates the saying; and a note giving the idiom's derivation. "Reach for the stars," for instance, is accompanied by a picture showing a boy and his cat in a tree, and a note explaining the idiom and citing the derivation of the saying (in this case, a Russian author's quote, "We sit in the mud and reach for the stars"). Unfortunately for libraries, the last page, which is ruled like notebook paper, invites children to write down special sayings from their own mothers. This will interest teachers and librarians, who will still find many ways to use it for language exercises. For another take on familiar sayings, pick up Loreen Leedy and Pat Street's There's a Frog in My Throat [BKL Mr 15 03]. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1585361062
• ISBN 13: 9781585361069
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Donovan Jane Monroe
• Number of pages: 32