FICTION

Mama's Day with Little Gray

by Aimee REID
illus. by Laura J. Bryant. 32p. Random. Mar. 2014. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780449810835.
COPY ISBN
PreS-K—As a baby elephant spends a day with her mother, she considers "what if" she were big and her mother were small. Little Gray determines that she would do everything that her mother is doing with her, like strolling through fields of grass, eating sweet leaves off of a high tree, swimming, and sleeping cuddled up together. Most of all, Little Gray promises that she would keep her mother safe, just as she feels on this perfect day. The story reads like a combination of Robert Munsch's Love You Forever (Firefly, 1995) and Barbara M. Joosse's Mama, Do You Love Me?? (Chronicle, 1998), in which the child pretends and the parent patiently plays along. Soft, watercolor illustrations highlight the expressive faces of the two animals and enhance the theme of unconditional love between parent and child.—Jennifer Miskec, Longwood University, Farmville, VA
Elephant Little Gray and his mama spend a day together imagining what it would be like if their roles were reversed: Little Gray would take care of Mama, and she would feel very safe. There's a lulling cadence to the conversation, which will sound familiar both to young children and to their parents. Calming, affectionate illustrations create strong personalities for the elephants.
Reviewed by Jennifer Miskec , Mar 01, 2014

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