Celebrate the special bond between mother and child with a book they can read together. Here are some choices for the youngest readers:
BABIES AND TODDLERS:Author Dian Curtis Regan details the joys of a Saturday spent by mother and child in "Mommies" (Scholastic, $5.95). Using a rhyming text, Regan tells the story chronologically, from a child's delight that it's Saturday and "time to play" to the last kiss and hug good night. Mary Morgan's illustrations are colorful and quietly emotional. (Ages 2-5)
Little Piglet has an important question for his mom: "Do you love me?" Of course, his mother answers. Then, in the universal way of toddlers, little Piglet sets out to test his mother's love. In "Mommy, Would You Love Me If ..." (Little Simon, $8.99), author/artist Carla Djis shows what happens when little Piglet transforms himself into various animals, from a lion with sharp teeth to a parrot with big wings, each time asking his mother if she still loves him. The youngest readers will love this satisfying look at the extent of a mother's love, and will be particularly intrigued by Djis' trademark pop-ups on each two-page spread. (Ages 2-5)
Mothers and children come in all shapes and sizes as author Laurel Porter-Gaylord and artist Ashley Wolff show in "I Love My Mommy Because ..." (Dutton, $7.99). As Porter-Gaylord lists the reasons children love their moms, Wolff offers colorful pictures of various types of mothers and children, from humans to cats to whales to raccoons. The device effectively shows young readers the universality of a mother's love. (Ages 2-5)
PRESCHOOLERS:
A child wakes up from his nap and immediately begins searching for his mother. He looks here, there and everywhere but can't find her until he opens the door to her bedroom and finds her asleep, worn out from the rigors of a morning with a toddler. In "Where's My Mom" (Candlewick Press, $5.99), author Leon Rosselson and artist Priscilla Lamont have created an enchantingly cheerful book. Young readers will delight in the search for Mom, while parents (especially moms) will relate to the child's relentless demands once he discovers where his mom is. (Ages 3-5)
John Kaplan, a Pulitzer prize-winning photographer, offers a visual praise poem to mothers and children in a wonderful new book, "Mom And Me" (Scholastic, $10.95). Kaplan tells the stories of three mothers and their children, combining a simple text with detailed and intimate photos. This is a lovely book, full of warmth and humor that both kids and adults will enjoy. (Ages 3-6)
First published 40 years ago, "Mommies At Work" (Aladdin Paperbacks, $3.25), has been updated and re-issued with new illustrations by artist Eugenie Fernandes. Author Eve Merriam begins her look at working mothers, with the work they do at home: snuggling, finding missing mittens, zipping zippers. She then moves on to the paid work that moms do, showing moms in factories, writing books, dancing, directing television shows, etc. In this now-classic book, Merriam manages to bridge the divide between at-home moms and office moms to show the merit in both types of work. (Ages 3-6)
Tommy is determined to give his mother a special birthday gift. He consults his older siblings, but they don't give him any great ideas. Finally, Tommy decides that he will catch a striped bass as his birthday gift. In "Tommy's Mommy's Fish" (Viking, $14.99), author Nancy Dingman Watson tells what happens when Tommy actually reels in his bass, then watches it escape back into the ocean. The book concludes as Tommy's mother tells him that it was the "best present she ever didn't get in her whole life." The illustrations by Watson's own son Tommy, Thomas Aldren Dingman Watson, are gorgeously evocative of a family life lived on Cape Code. (Ages 4-8)
In "Lots of Moms" (Dial, $12.99), preschoolers are treated to a feast of photos celebrating mothers and children. Authors Shelley Rotner and Sheila Kelly wisely let Kelly's photos carry the book, interspering only spare text around numerous colorful photos showing all kinds of moms doing all kinds of activities with their kids. (Ages 2-5)
Don't forget these classics:
- Margaret Wise Brown's "The Runaway Bunny" is a timeless exploration of mother love. Published by HarperCollins, the book is available in hardcover, $12.95; board book, $6.95; and paperback, $4.95.
- "Ask Mr. Bear" (Aladdin Paperbacks, $4.95), written and illustrated by Marjorie Flack, lovingly details a young boy's search for the perfect birthday gift for his mother.