The title Mama and Mommy
and Me in the Middle captures the discomfort a little child feels when one
caregiver is away on a week-long work trip. No longer in the middle, this child
feels out of place. Nina LaCour’s story selects a few key moments of daily life
as Mama and child fill the week with routine activities and spontaneous play.
Yet, a stop at the café is for two cups “instead of our usual three”, and
blueberries go back on the shelf in the grocery store this week. A video call with Mommy on Wednesday is
exciting, but it isn’t the same as a real hug—this young one misses Mommy “as
deep as a scuba diver down in the ocean”. Mama helps prepare surprises for her
return. However, feelings are complicated, and the child experiences mixed
emotions at the end of the story. KaylaniJuanita’s clean lines and light palette depict an organized and caring home. This
book is a doorway into conversations about feelings, especially when a child
misses a beloved.
This is a picture book for a family in which someone is away for an extended period of time. A little child may feel that two days is a long time, so I think it may suit families with even brief times away from home. The title implied this book would highlight the concept of two women as partners and heads of a household. But no. Instead, this relationship is a given, as if it's as ordinary as the air we breathe.
The focus of this narrative is on the little child's emotions during a week when Mommy is on a work trip. I say "child" throughout this blog because this character is not gender identified. The first-person point of view leaves open the possibility that we're reading the words of a boy, girl, or nonbinary little one. I like how LaCour describes the every day ways in which Mommy is missed. Her absence is felt during the week. A video chat is exciting, but actually makes it more painfully obvious that she's not home. LaCour allows her main character to have strong and even mixed emotions.
This book feels like it was assembled like a jig saw puzzle by the publisher. The days of the week are printed in all caps, which becomes a teaching moment. The concept of missing someone is introduced early in the story when children in a preschool-like setting talk about missing family members and a pet. While it rains at home on Wednesday, it snows in Minnesota, giving the publisher the opportunity to slip in a science lesson. The child whispers a secret to Mama which becomes a plan "to keep in your mind." Here's a lesson about remembering. I wish it included writing a note, a missed chance to teach literacy. Juanita scatters items in threes in her illustrations: three coats on hooks, three eggs in a bird's nest, three racoons emerging from a storm drain, three books in a basket . . .
I love that this is an organized and caring environment. There's little indication of socio-economic status other than this takes place in a suburb with clean streets and no traffic. The child plays with houses made from boxes and cartons. Juanita's illustrations are rendered with precise detail in the fabrics, furniture, and plants. The characters' faces are expressive. I don't know the meaning of the white mark on her forehead. It also appears on Mommy's forehead. Mommy and Mama appear to be twenty-somethings in my mind. I'm looking at a story for young caregivers.
I bought this book new so as to support a local bookstore. I'm glad I did.
