reader ¹ ✓ Tony Crunk
A portrait of a local hero All the neighborhood kids agree that Billy Boyd's grandmother is a wonder She can build freight trains and spaceships she knows intergalactic code and she Mommy's review from 112211 I really like reading stories with Julia that are about different kinds of families and children In this story a little boy lives with his grandparents because he doesn't have a mother or father any This may lead into some uestions from some children My daughter didn't ask any because she's well aware that some children don't have or live with their parents I'm a single mother so she knows this well But I can see it sparking interest in some children who live in a two parent household and can't imagine anything differentThere's a distinct southern feel to the story and the illustrations That may be only to me because there's a huge difference between 'north' and 'south' to me But Big Mama as the boys grandmother is called isn't just 'Big Mama' to him she's Big Mama to all of the kids and that impression is engraved early on in the storyCrunk goes on to illustrate with the story how easy Big Mama is and what she lets the kids do what she does for them and at the same time he shows how she commands respect and how people listen to herAround the middle of the story Big Mama takes the kids to get ice cream and there's one of those parts we often see in children's books they went this way then that way past this over that under here through there etc I can deal with that fine It's the going back that gets me often than not It's safe to assume the characters are going back Even going back the same way can be assumed So unless something is going to happen on the way back through above under in out on top etc why add it in? It's so repetitive and authors seem to really really enjoy it I could be forgiving although not much if I'm honest if this was for a toddler but it's not A child my daughters age 6 will get bored easily with parts like that if they run too long Luckily this stopped on the border Had it gone any farther Julia would have started groaning I'm sure of itThe pictures are kind of so so in how they're done but what they depict is another story entirely I loved how Big Mama an older white woman treated all the children the same black kids white kids older younger in a wheelchair it didn't matter They're treated euallyThis isn't shouted out in the story it's very subtle and I think it's perfectThis is another where I wouldn't recommend running out to purchase it but it's worth reading if you find it at the library or a garage sale or some such I'd even say it's worth reserving it at the library if for nothing else than the pros I've already mentioned
Tony Crunk ✓ Big Mama text
Big MamaThe lead the journey there and back again is always full of adventure In this warm affectionate book lush and lively illustrations are filled with amusing details of small town life I very much enjoyed this book about a little boy's beloved grandmother who cares for him since he doesn't have a mother or father any Perfect for anyone who needs a book about different sorts of families it also seamlessly includes a multi ethnic cast and a child in a wheelchair I loved the fact that all of this was just seen as normal as it should be What was seen as special was the way Big Mama actively engages with the children and seems to really understand their need to explore and even cause a little trouble sometimes She balances this with the insistence on taking responsibility and atoning for mistakes something that can be difficult for parents at times And they go out for ice cream Which is delicious I approve