One More Time, Mama

A mother remembers the fireflies, afternoon rain, squirrels, geese, and other aspects of nature that she watched while waiting for her child to be born. By the illustrator of When I Am Old with You.

"Tell me some more about waiting, Mama. Tell me again," comes the recurring plea from the young protagonist of Alexander's (Nadia the Willful) labored story. A mother recounts, at her daughter's urgings, the months of waiting for her baby's birth, focusing on the changes in the seasons (e.g., "I was waiting when the new-hatched goslings and ducklings waddled down the path and around the pond and the wild violets began to bloom on the rise beyond"). Readers may have less patience than this child who eagerly listens to Mama's soporific descriptions of weather and animal activity from winter through autumn, when her infant is finally born. Soman's (When I Am Old with You) softly focused, sometimes hazy watercolors faithfully document the seasonal changes and capture the affection between mother and child, but youngsters are more likely to crave details about the impending newborn than the environmental sounds and sights the expectant mother witnesses. Ages 3-5. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Kindergarten-Grade 2-Although a little girl has heard the story many times of how her mother eagerly anticipated her birth, she begs to hear it again and again. Both words and pictures reveal the close relationship between the two, and the anticipation of the child's birth is tied completely to that of the life cycle in nature. The expectant mother's waiting parallels both the changing of the seasons from winter through late fall and the natural phenomena that accompany them. The author's tone is soothing and her words are well chosen, even poetic at times, when describing such wonders as the "frozen dewdrop lace" on the wintry raspberry bushes or the first wild violets of spring beginning to "bloom on the rise beyond." The realistic watercolor paintings are a perfect complement to both the simple, yet evocative language and the mood of the story. Their rich colors and carefully drawn details contribute to the clarity of the text. Similar in theme but geared to an older audience than Barbara Joosse's Mama, Do You Love Me? (Chronicle, 1991), this is a warm, reassuring tale for adults and children to snuggle up with and share.
Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, LaSalle Academy, Providence, RI
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.