Mama's Work Shoes

July 1, 2019
Perry and her mother spend a lot of time together, so much so that Perry knows all of her mother’s shoes by heart. She’s even learned to anticipate the day’s activities by their sounds, from the “swish-swish” of slippers to the “pat-put” of puddle-jumping boots. One morning, the unfamiliar “click-clack” of new shoes across the kitchen floor has the child admiring her mother’s high-heeled pumps, until she learns that it’s the start of “the new routine.” At first, Perry pushes back with tears and tantrums and even attempts to hide the shoes. Helped by Nan, her kindly new babysitter, and equipped with her mother’s assurance that her “go-to-work shoes” transform each afternoon into “hurry-home-to-you shoes,” Perry eventually finds her groove. Levis skillfully relates the push-and-pull negotiations between a young child and a parent returning to work, and Brantley-Newton’s digital artwork renders the related range of emotional expression. Ages 3–7.

July 1, 2019
There's a talkative shoe for every occasion. Perry the preschooler loves that each kind signals a special time with Mama. Want to cuddle on the couch? Slide into the "swish-swush" slippers. Want to splash in the rain? Pull on the "pat-put" rain boots. Chatty footgear carries Perry happily from one mother-daughter adventure to another--until the arrival of the dreaded "click-clack" shoes. These strange high-heeled contraptions don't take Mama to Perry, they take Mama away from Perry. After tearful fits and starts and plenty of patience from Mama and babysitter Nan, the little girl accepts that even though the click-clack shoes take her mother to work, they also bring her back in time for some bare foot-to-foot "tickle-tickle" sharing. Levis' concept of associating specific shoes with specific bonding activities is charming, but it's undercut by rampant onomatopoeia. Instead of limiting the sounds only to shoes, which are nearly protagonists in and of themselves, the text gives voices to the door, the kiss, and more. This, coupled with overlong intervals with Nan, somewhat disrupts both the narrative flow and the emotional impact. Brantley-Newton's collaged depictions of a middle-class, rambunctious, mixed-race child, her exuberant single, white mother, and the vivacious babysitter, who presents as an older South Asian woman, are dynamic and colorful. Not perfect but still soothingly reassuring for children learning to share parents with the workplace. (Picture book. 3-5)

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November 15, 2019

PreS-Gr 1-Young Perry knows all about her mother's shoes, the sounds they make, and what they are for, but one day a pair of "click-clack" high heels disrupts their usual routine. Mama drops Perry off at Nan's house while she goes to work. Perry decides she does not care for Mama's click-clack shoes, and just to be safe she hides all of Mama's shoes-humorously stuffing them into houseplants and under sofa cushions-to keep her from leaving again. However, Mama soon discovers the ruse and puts Perry at ease, explaining that while in the morning her click-clack heels are "go-to-work shoes" but in the afternoon they become "hurry-home-to-you shoes." Though being separated is still hard, Perry can enjoy playing at Nan's, comforted by the knowledge that Mama will always come home to her. This sweet story is told in simple sentences with the rich phonology of onomatopoeia with Mama's collection of shoes serving as a clever window to their lives. No other parent is mentioned. The illustrations are digitally enhanced with elements of collage and charcoal pencil using soft colors and rich texture. The characters are depicted with varied skin tones and expressive features. VERDICT A gentle read-aloud for young children, portraying the separation anxiety that comes when a parent returns to the workforce.-Kelly Topita, Anne Arundel County Public Library, MD

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2019
Preschool-G Mama has swish-swush shoes for relaxing times, zip-zup shoes for outdoor fun, and stomp-stamp shoes when it's snowy. Little girl Perry likes the sounds of all of Mama's shoes and enjoys the different activities they represent. When Mama puts on a new pair of shoes, however?high heels that click-clack ?it means that she's going to work, and Perry is not happy. It's a clever approach to the common experience of separation anxiety. Mama's new job is unnamed?her workplace attire would be appropriate in many situations?allowing a wide variety of young children to relate. Brantley-Newton's charcoal pencil drawings, digitally colored and collaged with handmade, vintage, and scrapbook paper, produce warm, vibrant images that keep the story upbeat. While Mama works, Perry stays with brown-skinned Nan, with whom she gradually learns to have fun, but she's even happier when she hears the fast click-clack announcing Mama's return. Best of all is when Perry and Mama are back home together and the shoes come off.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)