Even today, my adult children will hand me their trash, as if to say, “Here, deal with this.”
So I could really relate to Jennifer Castro’s book, Mom*Me, because she so well captures how children rely on their mothers to be their cooks, entertainers and personal assistants.
I found out about Jennifer Castro, of San Jose, Calif., through her sister Becky, who is a good friend of mine. Because I like to support other authors, I wanted to blog about Jen’s book.
Mom*Me – illustrated by Hildy Charboneau – is a clever story that shows the relationship between mother and child. By first demonstrating all of the things that a mother is not – someone to hand their trash to, someone to jump all over, someone to beat on like a drum – Jen delves into the beauty of what a mother really is: a caregiver.
Brief scenarios show how parents and children interact through the good and bad. It shows how children will be children, and it shows how we can guide them away from the habit of relying on us unnecessarily.
As a mother, I could point to any given page and personally connect with the images; for instance, I, unfortunately, remember my kids wiping their noses on me. Seeing the child in the book doing so makes me smile.
I like the gentle way that Jen pokes fun.
The illustrations are well thought out and imaginative, full of life and color. They bring the words alive with comical visuals with which readers can relate.
This book shows how adults have to learn to cope with the things their children do, and it also gives children an appreciation for their caregivers. Despite the fact that this book focuses on the “Mom,” it applies to caregivers across the board – fathers, aunts and uncles, grandparents and guardians. It’s humor and compassion speak in a universal language.
It’s been a while since I’ve read a book to my kids; Mom*Me made me wish they were small again. Well, for a minute.
Better yet, I’ll read it to my grandson!
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