We celebrate Mother's Day at St. John's Presbyterian Church with a youth-led service, happy songs, and roses. Today the bells rang, the singers sang, a young poet read, and, toward the end of it all, the youth went up and down the aisles giving roses to their moms. I was talking to the young man beside me at the time, and so my head was turned when I heard young Greta (who is Clara's sister and Paul and Julie's youngest daughter) saying Happy Mother's Day. Wearing her bright smile and her sweet blue dress, she delivered unto me this slender pink rose.
Sometimes the children of the world belong to all of us (or perhaps they always do). Today Paul, Julie, and Clara shared their Greta.
Happy Mother's Day to all who love the children of this world.
The Mommy Book by Todd ParrReview by Chris Singer
About the author:
Todd Parr
lives near San Francisco but grew up in Wyoming. He likes to paint, but failed art class. Now he creates books for kids and has a TV show called ToddWorld. His books talk about love, kindness and are sometimes silly. He loves the fog, the sea lions, dolphins and macaroni and cheese. He also loves his dog Bully.
About the book:
The Mommy Book celebrates all different kinds of moms and highlights the many reasons they are so special. Whether your mom goes fishing or goes shopping, whether she works at home or in a big building, whether she has short hair or big hair, Todd Parr assures readers that no matter what kind of mommy you have, every mother is special in her own unique way.
My take on the book:
On a day set aside for celebrating mothers, can there be a better book to review than Todd Parr’s The Mommy Book?
With its trademark, brightly-colored illustrations and silliness, The Mommy Book is perfect for young readers. Of course “No two mommies are alike” and this story sparks all the different ways each child loves their mommy. As with other Todd Parr books, I love how this one also celebrates multiculturalism, as well as promoting strong family relationships.
Todd Parr’s books are always a huge hit in our home and this fun take on “Mommy” is a great way for kids to celebrate Mother’s Day with their moms.
A number of years ago, I read this at my mother's funeral mass. I am sharing it today with you to honor my mother and sister. It was the last gift that I could send upward to Heaven dedicated to her.
Our Mother, a Gift of Words
If my mom were alive today, she would thank you for coming here. So her family thanks you today. Besides prayers, the last gift that I can give our mother is a few kind words. She used to say, “If it makes you happy, do it.” And I am happy to share these words with you.
Our mother is gone, but she’s here in our hearts and memories—like Father Jim said. She’s here in her children and their spouses, grandchildren and many others. Yes, she’s here in her grandchildren. She was a “grand” mother to all of them. Whenever we closed a long distance phone call, she would add, “Give everyone a kiss for me and tell them that I love them.”
She even included our dog, Rosco, in her good wishes. Dogs held a special place in my mom’s heart because they asked for so little and gave so much. Dogs like Rudy and Lucy. Mom is here in her nieces and nephews and her friends.
So, who was this woman we call mother, sister, grandma, great-grandma or friend? She was an angel on Earth. That’s who she was. Those who used to watch “Touched By An Angel” know what I mean. This earthly angel wasn’t perfect, but she was as perfect as a person can be. She earned her angel wings by spending most of her teenage years without a father, a father who died in a fire. Her oldest brother, John, became her rock of Gibraltar, her substitute father. This lovely lass fell in love with a hard-working macho Italian man. It was a classic case of “Romeo and Juliet,” except that the relationship survived growing up in two different houses, with two different cultures and lifestyles.
In the first year of marriage, there were challenges and the background of World War Two. Out of love, my mother gave into her groom in many ways. She waited hand-and-foot on a man used to European ways of living. That’s partly how she earned her heavenly wings today. She pleased this tough macho man as much as she could because she knew that he would love her all the days of his life; that he would work hard for her and their family, as long as he could.
She knew a profound secret about him that escaped the minds of his children, even as their lives unfolded into adulthood. She knew that he wa
Moms are near and dear to us, here at First Book. Many of us are moms, and all of us have moms, of course, but more than that, when we look at the people who support First Book – through donations, volunteering and helping us spread the word – we see a lot of mothers. We think that’s because, while no one likes to see kids without books to call their own, mothers like it even less than the rest of us.
So to celebrate Mother’s Day, please consider making a donation to First Book in the name of a special mom in your life, and send her this nifty e-card to let her know you were thinking about her. We’ll use your generous donation to continue providing access to new books for children in need.
Happy Mothers’ Day, from all your friends at First Book!
A special treat! A hidden picture puzzle and coloring page for Mother's Day by Liz Ball. To order books with her hidden picture puzzles or other books (like Topsy Turvy Land) from Hidden Pictures Publishing, click HERE. Enjoy!
*Click on the picture, then print! It will print out full size ready to be colored. If that doesn't work with your printer, right click on the picture, and then 'save
Special Mother's Day Showcase - at a Special Price! The National Writing for Children Center is looking for children's books about mothers (and mothers and their children) for a special Mother's Day Showcase in May.
The center is offering a special price for this Mother's Day Showcase.
Get the details here!
xxxxx
Happy After-Thanksgiving!
Before running out the door to buy-buy-buy, sit back and watch The Story of Stuff. At least watch the first seven minutes. Really.
But...if you really want something--how 'bout a book? You may still have time to participate in our book giveaway! To qualify, your entry must be posted by 11 p.m. Friday, November 26, 2010 (Central Standard Time). Here's JoAnn's interview with the author, Ann Angel. Before entering our contest, please read our Book Giveaway Guidelines.
You may be in the middle of NaNoWriMo. Carmela has commented on this and how she's modified NaNoWriMo to fit her life. If you're writing--however that looks in your life--my hat's off to you! Participating in this year's Poem A Day Challenge absolutely changed my life. It changed so much, in fact, that I've been writing a poem a day for 236 days...or seven months and 22 days (and sending each one to my friend Bruce as he sails around the world).
So here's a poem I wrote this week. Not a kid's poem. Just a poem from me--to you. I hope your
Thanksgiving was warm and wonderful.
A PERFECT DAY TO KIDNAP MOM
by April Halprin Wayland
This morning I woke with a huge burlap sack of guilt
about not being in town
with my 88-year-old mother
for Thanksgiving.
Today was a perfect day to kidnap her.
I poked around the internet, found an easy hike—
terrific, except it was in Thousand Oaks,
which always feels terribly far, like Romania, to Mom.
I phoned her:
“Pretend I’m Alan Alda
and I’m inviting you somewhere, okay?”
Okay, she said—except for the Thousand Oaks part.
She would have gone to Thousand Oaks for Alan Alda.
“I’ll ring you back,” I said.
I hunted more. I found
Malibu Creek State Park.
We drove north on Pacific Coast Highway
on this after-rain day—
everything green and blue and glisten-y,
Mom oohing and ahhing as we cruised past the grey-blue Pacific.
To celebrate Mother's Day I've decided to give shout-outs to some of my favorite movie moms. But, since I am a mom and my family has plans for me starting in a mere 45 minutes (and I still need to shower), this is going to be quick and I'm leaving it up to you all to tell me who your favorite movie moms are.
1. Ellen Griswold of National Lampoon's Vacation movies. She's foxy (remember the shower scene? Wowza!) , sweet, charming, gives her kids a little taste of freedom but is there to reel them in before they get too out of control, and how can't you love someone who'd put up with the whack job that is Clark Griswold and actually enjoy it?
2. Elastigirl of The Incredibles. She somehow manages to be down-to-earth while saving the earth from bad guys. I love how she handles her superhero kids and gives pep talks to her superhero hubby. A woman to be reckoned with, for sure.
3. The moms in Gremlins and Poltergeist, because they kick evil critter and evil spiri
t butts. Loved the scene where the mom nuked the Gremlin in the microwave!
4. Leigh Ann Tuohy in The Blindside. She took a homeless boy into her home and treated him with love and respect despite those who questioned her intentions. She's one tough lady! (And I have to give her whole family kudos for going along with her.) Here's an inspirational video on IMDB.com if you want to
check it out.
Okay, your turn! Who are your favorite Movie Moms? And for those of you who are moms, have a wonderful day!
Happy Mother’s Day! Here at First Book, we feel the best way to celebrate any holiday is with a great book! So here are some great reads for Mother’s Day:
The Runaway Bunny
By Margaret Wise Brown, Illustrations by Clement Hurd
In this charming book, a mix of color and black and white illustrations come alive as a mother shows her child that she will always be there, even if her little bunny runs, swims or sails away. Runaway Bunny, by Margaret Wise Brown, the author of Goodnight Moon, is the perfect book for any mom to read to her son or daughter!
Mama, Do You Love Me?
By Barbara Joosse, Illustrations by Barbara Lavallee
In Mama, Do You Love Me? beautiful watercolor illustrations capture a unique Artic setting and the power of a mother’s unconditional love. As a child tests the limits of her independence she learns that her mother’s love is forever, no matter where she goes. Joosse’s book is rich with culture and perfect for children (and adults) of any age.
Only You
By Robin Cruise, Illustrations by Margaret Chodos-Irvine
Only You, by Robin Cruise and illustrated by Caldecott Honor winner, Margaret Chodos-Irvine, celebrates how strong a mother’s love for her little one can be. In this book, a diverse range of parents and children combine with bold, yet simple, illustrations to make Only You the perfect book for even the youngest of children and the people that love them.
10. Mother’s Day is not a day. It covers the entire weekend from Thursday 6 p.m. through 9 a.m. Monday.
9. Instead of escorting spiders, ants, mosquitoes, earwigs, etc…out of our home, I will kill them on the spot.
8. You are not allowed to cry over said insects bereaved family members or wonder aloud about how said insects’ parents feel.
7. Don’t correct my grammar. I worked at the Chicago ‘effin Tribune, for God’s sake.
6. Do not, under any circumstances, say, “Mom look!” unless you are skydiving or graduating from high school.
5. I do not know where anything of yours is located.
4. I will change the TV channel at the drop of a dime to “The Dog Whisperer” or HGTV.
3. The words “Harry” and “Potter” are banned.
2. Play with those &%$ Zhu Zhu pets that I went insane trying to find for Christmas.
And my Number One rule on Mother’s Day……
1. Ask Daddy.
A shout out to MOMS — let’s make this list gigantic and laugh! Add some rules. Your day starts tonight.
This is our class craft from last week, the flowers were for a spring window display in the hallway. They would also be great to hand out for mother's day and easy to make a few (or a lot) at home. I think the kids would have made twenty each if they could have. They really enjoyed creating these.
The supplies were all things our teacher had on hand, - pre-cut watercolour papers, liquid watercolours (I think food colouring/water would work great), science droppers, and chenille stems.
I had the kids each paint on a clipboard and after one round of kids at the station, I added a couple of paper towels under the paper to absorb all the excess water.
Despite how much liquid is used they dried very quickly and within 1/2 hour I was able to gather the flower in the middle and twist the chenille stem onto it. Here are some finished flowers in a pencil can.
It’s that time of year
again! Time to honor all those mothers, grandmothers and women that make our lives what they are! With Mother’s Day less than a week away, we hope you have taken some time to think about how you can honor your mother on May 9th. Now, we realize that sometimes finding that thoughtful, special and creative Mother’s day gift can be quite a challenge, so we thought we would help out!
This year, you can make a donation to First Book online in honor of your mother, grandmother or special woman in your life and help low-income children everywhere experience the joy of reading. Once you make a donation you can choose an e-card to send directly to your mom, grandmother or whomever you might choose. So go ahead! Celebrate mother’s day and help a child in need open up the pages of their very first book and the doors to a brighter future.
What’s that you say? You’ve already picked out a fabulous mother’s day gift! No need to worry! You can still help us celebrate Mother’s Day right here on the First Book Blog by sharing your favorite memory of reading with your mom. I’ll even kick it off!
“When I was younger, my Mom would help me set up reading parties with my American Girl Dolls in our front yard. Once she had helped me spread out the blanket and get my dolls set up in a circle just like kids sit in an elementary school classroom, I would sit outside and read to my dolls for hours and hours on end. Of course, my Mom was always there to check in on me and make sure my reading parties were a success, and with her help, they always were!”
By:
Paula Becker,
on 3/30/2010
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Some samples of greeting cards I illustrated for RSVP came in the mail a few weeks ago. The one below is for Mother’s Day (Duh!) I didn’t concept or write these; just did the drawings.
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Young children under five are well catered for. How I Love You by Anna Pignataro (Scholastic Press, March 2014) oozes tenderness and charm. What it lacks in narrative depth is more than compensated for by the understated beauty of Pignataro’s glorious illustrations. Children will enjoy mimicking the high-lighted prose as they visit a diverse collection of Aussie animals at bedtime, each revealing by their actions just how they love their mummies. Sweet and perfect for bedtime togetherness.
Similar in design and content is Laine Mitchell’s and Kim Fleming’s, Mummy, You’re Special To Me. (Scholastic Australia, April 2014). Again this is less of a story and more of an exploration of the divine diversity and uniqueness of mummies all over the planet.
Hootie the Cutie (New Frontier Publishing, April 2014) by Michelle Worthington and fresh newcomer to the children’s book scene, illustrator Giuseppe Poli, could as easily be enjoyed by dads and grandparents but deserves special mention here, because what mum does not welcome a little dragon magic in her day?
Nanas are high-profiling a lot these days and little wonder when grandparents make up the highest proportion of informal childcare in Australia according to (AIFS)* statistics; so Deborah Kelly’s and Lisa Stewart’s, Jam for Nana (Random House Australia, April 2014) is destined to be a generational crowd pleaser.
e Katrina Germein and Tom Jellet team that gave us My Dad Thinks he’s Funny and My Dad Still Thinks he’s Funny, train their humorous cross-hairs on mum’s idiosyncratic refrains this time, with deadly accuracy. For adult readers, the sweet irony of mum’s idiomatic expressions is difficult to ignore and impossible not to relate to: ‘when mum’s tired she says everyone needs an early night.’ Love, love, love it! There is something here for every member of the family. Older primary aged kids will be rolling their eyes and trying not to laugh. You’ll be taking stock of the next ‘strange thing’ that falls out of your mouth.
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Can I say I love everything about this post. Not sure how *nice* of a tribute though. :)
Maren
Thank you. Thank you.
Mom
I'm pretty much saying she's the coolest mom ever....