If you want to find out how important and influential mothers are, just ask their children. Or read about what children have to say about their moms.
"My Mother Is the Best Gift I Ever Got: Children on Mothers," by David Heller (Villard Books, $8), contains many pearls of wisdom from children 4 to 10 years of age."Motherhood is fun if you have the time and the children for it," it begins. Other examples: "Mothers learn by mistakes . . . so I would say they get to learn quite a bit," and "Motherhood is fattening, but I would still recommend it."
Heller says young children spend so much time with their mothers, they have a "special perspective" on motherhood. Moms who read this book, filled with whimsical illustrations by Melanie Hope Greenberg, will nod their heads knowingly.
On a similar note, "The Joy of Parenthood" (Meadowbrook Press, $6) is a book of "encouragement and inspiration" for parents, written by Jan Blaustone.
Mom is sure to chuckle when she reads such wry observations as: "While you can't recall what you did with your newborn all day, somehow it took every minute or your time." Or this gem: "Toddlers are more likely to eat healthy food if they find it on the floor."
"A Book of Days: Celebrating Art in Children's Literature" (Abrams, $14.95) is a beautiful keepsake book for mom, with 65 full-color pages of illustrations by children's book authors.
Each month is introduced by a full-page picture; illustrations decorate many of the remaining pages, with space to fill in important dates such as birthdays and anniversaries.
The illustrations span the classics, from Beatrix Potters' "A Tale of Two Bad Mice" to Arthur Rackham's illustrations for "The Wind in the Willows." Contemporary artists include Maurice Sendak, Alexandra Day, William Steig, Tomie de Paola, Graeme Base and Chris Van Allsburg.
Katherine Wyse Goldman's "My Mother Worked and I Turned Out Okay" (Villard Books, $16) is a collection of anecdotes from grown children about their working mothers, including stories from Goldman's childhood and her mother, author Lois Wyse. One of Goldman's 12 principles of working motherhood: "No child ever fails to recognize mother when she comes home from work."
For expectant mothers and "newborn moms": "Don't Pick Up the Baby or You'll Spoil the Child and Other Old Wives' Tales About Pregnancy and Parenting" by Colleen Davis Gardephe and Steve Ettlinger (Chronicle Books, $9.95). This colorful book, with its purple-and-yellow illustrations by Karen Smidth, is friendly, fun - and informative.
As the introduction explains: "Ever since Steve, a writer and editor, took his baby outside for the first time and his older neighbor admonished him, `Don't pick up the baby every time he cries or you'll spoil him,' Steve knew he had to do this book."
The authors sort through dozens of superstitions and myths about pregnancy and parenthood, matching them with up-to-date information from obstetricians, nu-tri-tionists, psychologists and midwives.
Among the topics covered in the 95-page book: bottle-feeding, breastfeeding, gender and birth-order differences; labor and delivery, sleeping, general health and well-being, physical and intellectual development, discipline and child-rearing.
"What's New for Parents," by Irene Franck and David Brownstone (Prentice Hall, $12), describes recent products, services, books and programs for children and their parents including information on how to choose a new school district, summer opportunities for kids and teens and what's new in family health and safety.
The authors provide a brief overview of the product, discovery, report or recommendation, with follow-up information such as telephone numbers to call, organizations to contact, sources for products and articles to read.