________________ CM . . . . Volume XIX Number 18. . . .January 11, 2013

cover

My Mother Is Weird.

Rachna Gilmore. Illustrated by Brenda Jones.
Charlottetown, PE: Acorn Press, 2012.
24 pp., pbk., $9.95.
ISBN 978-1-894838-74-0.

Preschool-grade 1 / Ages 3-6.

Review by Elizabeth Walker.

*** /4

   

excerpt:

My mother is so weird. Some mornings when she wakes up, she has horns on her head and long pointy teeth and claws. She speaks in a voice like a jackhammer.

But after her morning coffee, Mom's horns disappear, and her teeth and claws shrink back to normal. She speaks in a soft, smooth voice.

 

My Mother is Weird , Rachna Gilmore's first-ever picture book, has been reissued 24 years after it was first published, and it definitely stands the test of time. This is a whimsical story told from the point of view of a small child who runs away to a friend's house when her mother is crankier than usual (the toilet's flowing over, the toybox is broken and – worst of all – they're out of coffee!) only to discover that Beast Mothers are not unique to her own household.

internal art      The prose is lighthearted and perfectly pitched, and the plot, itself, will ring true to every child and parent who has ever had an off-day. The illustrations by Brenda Jones are still fresh and lively, even after so much time, and they complement the story perfectly (the scene of a monster mother changing diapers is particularly humorous). Both parents and small children will enjoy "reading between the lines" to figure out exactly what is going on.

     My Mother is Weird will no doubt be a favourite read-aloud for parents and their own little monsters for years to come.

Recommended.

Elizabeth Walker is a teacher-librarian in Vancouver, BC.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364
Hosted by the University of Manitoba.
 

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