FICTION

Mom School

by Rebecca VAN SLYKE
illus. by Priscilla Burris. 32p. Doubleday. 2015. lib. ed. $19.99. ISBN 9780385388931; Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780385388924; ebk. $10.99. ISBN 9780385388948. LC 2014012962.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 2—A tribute to all of the things a mom can do. The unnamed girl imagines that her mother has attended "Mom School," where she learned how to do a multitude of tasks around the house, how to play, and of course the uncanny ability to do several things at once. There is humor in the idea that these skills were acquired in an institutional setting, and Burris's funny illustrations rendered in soft pastel hues capture this silly but charming concept. The story is appropriately child-centric, though at the end Van Slyke cleverly works in the fact that the mom is not just a superstar at home but also has a career. Predictably, she declares that her best job is being a mom.
VERDICT An appealing addition to read at Mother's Day and throughout the year.
Reviewed by Gloria Koster, West School, New Canaan, CT
A little girl imagines what her mom learned in Mom School: how to read stories, "pitch a ball slowly so kids can hit it," bait a fishing hook, do more than one thing at a time, and bake cupcakes. Bolstered by Burris's emotive pencil drawings with digital coloring, the story is slight but cute enough and refreshingly stereotype-free.
, Apr 01, 2015

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