MAMA I LOVE YOU

In Santos’ picture book, a child describes how wonderful his mother is.

A tawny-skinned, black-haired little boy loves his mother very much. The boy praises his mother for her teachings, her ability to make plans to protect him (even when he’s not listening), her unconditional love, her humor, and her ability to focus on him even when her own concerns may threaten to overwhelm her. Santos’ rhymes return to the idea that mothers will not be there forever in a way that seems almost maudlin in this context: “Mama, I love you. Though you won’t be alive forever, / I know that your love will never leave, ever!” The child-eye view of motherhood in the text takes into account both the mother’s joys and her struggles; the images take the theme of devotion even further. (A picture of the mother holding back an avalanche of rocks while still helping her child to build a sand castle is sure to resonate with many caregivers.) The watercolor and ink-lined illustrations can be uneven—some look as if photo filters have been applied to create the backgrounds. Santos’ scansion is consistent throughout; she uses accessible vocabulary to help emergent readers. The ending pages describe mothers as selfless, superpowered figures in a way that may feel more like pressure to mom readers than comfort to their children; a section suggesting activities feels more congenial.

A warm meditation on maternal love.