Mama's Home

by Shay Youngblood, Lo Harris (Illustrator)

Overview

"While her mother works, a young girl is taken care of by all the Big Mamas in her community, who shower her with love and affection, in this wonderful story that celebrates the wider meaning of family"--

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593180228
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	10/18/2022
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.31(w) x 10.25(h) x 0.39(d)
Lexile:	AD990L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Georgia-born writer Shay Youngblood is author of the novels Black Girl in Paris and Soul Kiss (Riverhead Books) and a collection of short fiction, The Big Mama Stories (Firebrand Books). Her plays have been widely produced. She is the recipient of numerous grants and awards including a Pushcart Prize for fiction. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from Brown University and has taught Creative Writing at NYU. She currently lives in Atlanta.

Lo Harris is an illustrator and motion designer based in Brooklyn, New York. She grew up in Bessemer, Alabama and, from the time her family had a computer, she would spend hours on Microsoft Paint. She currently works as an Associate Animator at NBC News Digital, and has previously done work for The New York Times, Bustle and The Chicago Reporter. Lo seeks to creates work that empowers women through celebrations of self-love, self-compassion and sisterhood.

Editorial Reviews

★ 2022-08-31
Novelist Youngblood tells a story of a child with seven homes and seven Big Mamas.

A Black child with two puffs goes to a different home every day. The child’s mother works late and sometimes travels for weeks at a time. So the Big Mamas take care of the narrator, and the child has different experiences and dreams with each of them. With Nurse Louella, the protagonist cycles around the airport parking lot and later thinks of being a pilot. With Miss Zikora, the narrator sings in Spanish, French, and Igbo (“I think I want to sing in my own band”). Other Big Mamas braid the child’s hair in a salon or teach them to fish. Finally, when Mama comes home, everyone celebrates together with more delicious food, and the child gets to sleep in their own little room in their own house, glad that Mama is home. This is a joyful, heartfelt celebration of family—born and chosen—and community, of Black womanhood and expressions of love. The variety of people and homes in the child’s life is thoroughly engaging; the details of the women’s lifestyles, from fashion and cars to foods and conversations, immerse readers in each setting. Harris’ bright, warm illustrations use thick blocks of saturated colors to bring the Mamas, the child, and their relationships to life. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Unique and universally resonant, this fascinating tribute is one to share. (notes from the author and from Make Me a World creative director Christopher Myers, recipe for sweet pink punch) (Picture book. 4-9)

Kirkus Reviews

★ "A joyful, heartfelt celebration of family—born and chosen—and community, of Black womanhood and expressions of love." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“A rich chosen-family story of love, care, and community.” —The Horn Book

From the Publisher