Boardbook Spotlight: Mommy, Mama, and Me

With all the books that come across my desk on a daily basis, sometimes they all start to look the same. Covers blur. Storylines jumble. It's all a big bookish haze! Today however, a seemingly unassuming little boardbook jumped across my desk this afternoon with a big message. Love comes in all shapes and sizes. It comes from all types of people from all different places. Love is so beautiful in its simplicity.

Mommy, Mama, and Me by Leslea Newman is a boardbook about a little boy who receives lots of help, love, attention, and encouragement from his parents; Mommy and Mama. By removing all the hype around the oft discussed issue of same sex relationships we can see the most basic element that brings families of all sorts together -- love. Reading this with your child, I'm sure you will relate to many of the experiences the characters go through, from play time, to bath time, to sleepy time. These two parents are attentive and provide a strong sense of security for their little one, as I'm sure you strive to do. The text and phrasing, which relies on a simple cadence and rhyming scheme, make it a great book to work on your child's phonological awareness, which is their ability to recognize the sound structure, or phonological structure, of spoken words. Overall, this is a wonderful little book with a wonderful big message.