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MY MAMA SINGS

Name: MY MAMA SINGS
Author: Jeanne Whitehouse Peterson
ISBN: 0-06-023854-2

by Jeanne Whitehouse Peterson & illustrated by Sandra Speidel ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 30, 1994

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``My mama sings me no new songs./We get along with used tunes,'' begins this young African-American's lyrical description of Mama's melodies. There's one for daffodil time; ``the same soft blues/her mama taught her'' for hot summer nights; Grandpa's clicking cricket song when the leaves fall; an old commercial on laundry days. Then, when ``Mama's boss...sends her away,'' Mama stops singing; but the boy makes up a comforting new song, and even though Mama's still blue she sings it back to him. Lovely as an old song, Peterson's words are beautifully extended in Speidel's richly luminous pastel art, where the boy and his mother share work, music, and a sense of their family history in perfect amity. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: May 30, 1994

ISBN: 0-06-023854-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1994

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
DON’T FORGET WINONA
by Jeanne Whitehouse Peterson & illustrated by Kimberly Bulcken Root

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A DOG NAMED SAM

by Janice Boland & illustrated by G. Brian Karas ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1996

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A book that will make young dog-owners smile in recognition and confirm dogless readers' worst suspicions about the mayhem caused by pets, even winsome ones. Sam, who bears passing resemblance to an affable golden retriever, is praised for fetching the family newspaper, and goes on to fetch every other newspaper on the block. In the next story, only the children love Sam's swimming; he is yelled at by lifeguards and fishermen alike when he splashes through every watering hole he can find. Finally, there is woe to the entire family when Sam is bored and lonely for one long night. Boland has an essential message, captured in both both story and illustrations of this Easy-to-Read: Kids and dogs belong together, especially when it's a fun-loving canine like Sam. An appealing tale. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: April 1, 1996

ISBN: 0-8037-1530-7

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Dial Books

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1996

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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THE NAME JAR

by Yangsook Choi & illustrated by Yangsook Choi ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 10, 2001

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Unhei has just left her Korean homeland and come to America with her parents. As she rides the school bus toward her first day of school, she remembers the farewell at the airport in Korea and examines the treasured gift her grandmother gave her: a small red pouch containing a wooden block on which Unhei’s name is carved. Unhei is ashamed when the children on the bus find her name difficult to pronounce and ridicule it. Lesson learned, she declines to tell her name to anyone else and instead offers, “Um, I haven’t picked one yet. But I’ll let you know next week.” Her classmates write suggested names on slips of paper and place them in a jar. One student, Joey, takes a particular liking to Unhei and sees the beauty in her special stamp. When the day arrives for Unhei to announce her chosen name, she discovers how much Joey has helped. Choi (Earthquake, see below, etc.) draws from her own experience, interweaving several issues into this touching account and delicately addressing the challenges of assimilation. The paintings are done in creamy, earth-tone oils and augment the story nicely. (Picture book. 4-8)