bookshelf

MAMA'S SCENT

Name: MAMA'S SCENT
Author: Sahar Naja Mahfouz
ISBN: 9781623716462

by Sahar Naja Mahfouz ; illustrated by Baraa Awoor ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 12, 2025

A tender tribute to mothers and their children.

bookshelf

A child revels in the comfort of Mama’s distinct aroma.

“Mama’s scent…reminds me of rose gardens, and red cheeks, and happy days.” It inspires thoughts of “colorful cakes, and special celebrations, when I wear lace and ribbons in my hair.” Above all, Mama’s smell “makes me feel safe, as if she’s always by my side.” At school one day, the tan-skinned young narrator smells something familiar. Confused, the child searches for Mama throughout the building. Instead of finding her, however, the protagonist notices the scent fading. Disappointed, the child returns to class and sits down, only to realize that the smell has returned. Eventually, readers discover its source: the protagonist’s backpack, where Mama has tucked a scarf “in case I [get] cold in the frosty morning.” After school, mother and child wrap their arms around each other in a warm embrace, ending the book on an uplifting note that reinforces their warm and loving relationship. Translated from Arabic, Naja Mahfouz’s text is more poem than story, weaving lyrical descriptions with Awoor’s exquisitely whimsical mixed-media illustrations, bursting with gentle colors, lush textures, and incredible detail. Dominated by shades of blue, the artwork relies on abstract imagery, often depicting Mama as a soothingly larger-than-life figure.

A tender tribute to mothers and their children. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Aug. 12, 2025

ISBN: 9781623716462

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Crocodile/Interlink

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: today

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

bookshelf

PAPA'S COMING HOME

by Chasten Buttigieg ; illustrated by Dan Taylor ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 20, 2025

An affirming, though lackluster, look at a loving queer family.

bookshelf

For his debut picture book, teacher and activist Chasten Buttigieg draws inspiration from life with husband Pete Buttigieg, former U.S. transportation secretary.

The big day has finally arrived! Rosie and Jojo have been counting down the days until Papa comes home from his work trip. With a little help from Daddy, they make “welcome home” signs to greet Papa at the airport, pick flowers from the garden, and bake a “seven-layer chocolate cake with purple and yellow frosting.” Much to Daddy’s bemusement, the kids gather all of Papa’s favorite things, including his robe and slippers and their adorable pooch, Butter, as they walk out the door to pick up Papa from his travels. The author offers an affectionate portrait of the everyday domestic life of a same-sex family unit. While many kids and adults will be pleased to see their experiences reflected on the page, both the choppy writing and the flat digital artwork are fairly bland. Characters display similarly excited facial expressions throughout, while the portrayal of the children borders on overly cutesy at times, with intentionally misspelled signs throughout the house (“Papa’s Very Spechull Garden. Please do not tutch”). Like the author’s actual children, Rosie and Jojo are brown-skinned, while Daddy and Papa present white.

An affirming, though lackluster, look at a loving queer family. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: May 20, 2025

ISBN: 9780593693988

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Philomel

Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY

bookshelf

ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

bookshelf

Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)