Your Mommy Was Just Like You

April 4, 2011
This follow-up to Your Daddy Was Just Like You (2010) follows the format of its predecessor, as a grandmother tells her granddaughter all about raising the girl's mother. Bennett smartly covers the good along with the badâas a child, the girl's mother was adventurous, imaginative, and active, but "some days she turned into the terror!... On those days she was sent to time-out. Just like you." Walker's acrylic paintings capture the story's emotional highs and lows, as well as its warm humor; the overall tone, though, is one of assured love throughout the generations. Ages 3â5.

April 1, 2011

This slight story opens with a grandmother, her daughter and her granddaughter gathered around a family photo album, in a book that replicates the formula used in Your Daddy Was Just Like You (2010). The grandmother begins to remember all the ways her daughter and granddaughter are alike: "Your mommy was born bright-eyed and fuzzy-topped. Just like you." Bennett's comforting refrain, along with the measured text, creates a soothing rhythm that pairs nicely with Walker's muted acrylics. Certain vignettes wonderfully capture less-endearing moments of childhood, such as when the grandmother remembers her daughter's tantrums, when she "pestered and poked, stomped and spit... / On those days she was sent to TIME OUT." However, the nostalgic tone is occasionally burdened by overly cute language: "Most days your mommy was my sweet potato—doll face—poopsie..." As in the companion title for fathers, Walker misses the opportunity to draw a visual connection between the little girl and her mother, who grandmother says was so much like her—a shame. Even though most young children enjoy hearing what their parents were like when they were little, there is not much here to excite the preschool set. (Picture book. 3-5)

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March 1, 2011

PreS-A grandmother looks at an old photo album with her granddaughter, telling her stories about her mother when she was little. Each page shows something about her childhood, from nicknames to temper tantrums, daisy chains, and scraped knees. The grandmother explains how hard her daughter worked when she was trying to learn to read and how stubborn she was about picking out her own clothes. The youngster sees pictures of her mom dressed as a frog, a magic fairy, and a beautiful princess. The illustrations are soft and gentle, complementing each milestone mentioned in the story. Perfect for intergenerational lap sharing.-Kris Hickey, Columbus Metropolitan Library, OH

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