Help Mom Work from Home!

by Diana Murray, Cori Doerrfeld (Illustrator)

Overview

“Highly relatable to many pandemic parents, this handy how-to guide tells kids how to add a little pizzazz to Mom's workday with a little glitter and a four-legged assistant.” —Today

For fans of Boss Baby and How to Babysit a Grandma comes an entertaining read aloud for parents working from home with their little ones. 

It isn't always easy working from home. Luckily, Mom's little one is a natural boss at keeping her organized, leading meetings, and making calls—or so it seems. But when Mom starts looking frazzled, will her helper know what to do?

Diana Murray's rollicking rhyme paired with Cori Doerrfeld's energetic illustrations will bring parent and child together after a long workday at home. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316273657
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	10/12/2021
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	1,099,356
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Diana Murray grew up in New York City and still lives nearby with her husband, two daughters, and a spiky bearded dragon. Some of Diana’s picture books include City Shapes, Summer Color!, Wild About Dads, Five Fuzzy Chicks, Doris the Bookasaurus, Grimelda: The Very Messy Witch, and Ned the Knitting Pirate. Her poems have appeared in magazines including Highlights, High Five, and Spider.

Cori Doerrfeld lives in Minneapolis with her husband and two children. She received her undergrad degree in Studio Art from St. Olaf College and her Post Baccalaureate from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. She has several published titles including The Rabbit Listened, The Welcome Wagon, Good Dog, and more. 

 

Editorial Reviews

08/30/2021

A well-meaning brown-skinned toddler attempts to help their light-skinned mother work from home in this rhyming how-to by Murray. As the brown-skinned father whisks a younger child off, Mom settles in for a day of work on the couch before transitioning to a desk. At every step, the older child is there to assist, doing Mom’s hair, spreading toys across the floor, and chatting on a fake phone as their mother, wearing a headset, frantically attempts to shush them. In one memorable spread, the child thrusts the family cat onto the mother’s desk, offering “an assistant.” Employing digital chalk art, Doerrfeld offers countless details: laptop stickers, a conference call on-screen, and childlike artwork and signs (“Shhhh! Qwiet”). While this title feels more geared toward a sympathetic adult audience than to kids, it will especially resonate with guardians balancing pandemic-era remote work with childcare. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Highly relatable to many pandemic parents, this handy how-to guide tells kids how to add a little pizzazz to Mom's workday with a little glitter and a four-legged assistant.”—Today

"The book is a nod to the countless parents and caregivers who have found themselves without child care, struggling to balance the demands of working from home while simultaneously performing parenting duties.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“[Help Mom Work from Home!] will especially resonate with guardians balancing pandemic-era remote work with childcare.”

—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2021-07-14
Having a parent who works from home can be joyful, at least as the child sees it.

A mom and young child wave goodbye as the rest of the family leaves the house, then Mom gets down to work on her laptop. Mom tries hard to keep her kiddo entertained between video meetings and sending invoices. The child finds creative (albeit messy) ways to stay busy and “helps” mom by styling her hair and organizing her supplies—activities that might appear somewhat stressful to Mom, at least through grown-up eyes. Mom makes time during the busy day to connect with her child over yoga stretches, and the little one mimics her phone calls and other work tasks in a show of clear adoration. The book is a nod to the countless parents and caregivers who have found themselves without child care, struggling to balance the demands of working from home while simultaneously performing parenting duties. While the challenge of supporting a young child during the workday will feel all too familiar to many, the depictions of the struggle may hit too close to home for the lighthearted tone of the book to feel fun rather than anxiety-inducing. Members of this family of color are illustrated with shades of brown skin and brown hair. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

An attempt to normalize the difficulty of being a working parent that may just be too soon. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews