A CHILD’S LOVE

A daughter appeals to her mother as she goes through various stages of life in Casamento-Arrigo’s picture book.

Over and over, the story’s narrator calls on her mom for companionship as she confronts adolescence and adulthood in a series of rhyming couplets. As the child grows up, she asks her parent to experience various rites of passage with her: playing peek-a-boo, going to college, and even becoming a mother herself. The narrator highlights everyday moments, including stargazing and minor first aid, while expressing deep familial love: “Mommy, Mommy, do you know I love you so, / I always will, wherever I may choose to go.” The child grows older and, of course, so does her parent, and they slowly trade caretaking roles as the latter nears her life’s end. This simple but sweet picture book presents a sentimental story, and it may function best as a gift book that adult readers can share with their own parents or children. Its repeated reference to a “fairy land” is mildly confusing but doesn’t detract from its lesson. Like pictures on a mantelpiece, Martinez’s full-color illustrations appear framed on their own pages. However, their style can be somewhat jarring at some points, with facial expressions that seem exaggerated.

A simple but touching addition to the crowded genre of kids’ books about family.