FICTION

My Mommy Medicine

by Edwidge DANTICAT
illus. by Shannon Wright. 32p. Roaring Brook. Feb. 2019. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9781250140913. POP
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 2–Danticat (Mama's Nightingale) pays tribute to the ways in which mothers (or other caregivers, as she notes in the back matter) take care of their children when they are sick or down in the dumps. A young black girl shares a descriptive list of the things her mom does to help her feel better: playing games, telling stories, and making food, among many other acts of comfort and healing. She describes each type of "Mommy Medicine" using vivid language, similes, and metaphors. "Or soup—pea, chicken, or squash. I love squash! It's like sunshine in a bowl." The illustrations by Wright, a political cartoonist, burst with the love between the familial pair. She draws with detail and an array of glowing colors that fill each page. The focus is on the mother and daughter, who appear in each vignette like stills from an animation.
VERDICT A warm and fuzzy offering for sick days on the couch or everyday reading. A recommended purchase.
Reviewed by Clara Hendricks, Cambridge Public Library, MA , Mar 01, 2019

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