#BookReview
Get Ready, Mama!, Sharon Giltrow (author), Arielle Li (illus.), EK Books, April 2022.
Blurb:
Getting Mama ready for the day can be a challenge!
She will try to sneak back into bed, distract you with cuddles, and… wait, is she watching TV?!
Learn how to get Mama up and ready, despite her mischievous delaying tactics, with this essential guide to dealing with morning mayhem!
Review:
An ‘essential guide’ – ‘essential’ being the operative word here! This must-have toolkit guides its readers – the children – with all the necessary information needed to getting their mamas up and ready for the day. By means, not an easy feat! Especially with a mama like this one who is so easily distracted and will find any excuse to dawdle during the morning rush.
Author Sharon Giltrow absolutely brilliantly makes mayhem fun, throwing in plenty of giggle-worthy moments that every child and parent can relate to. In its role reversal capacity, young readers will easily empathise with the characters in the story, but especially with their own parents who make the concerted efforts with as much patience as they can possibly muster. Every. Single. Morning. Along with her previous title, Bedtime Daddy! (illustrated by Katrin Dreiling), Get Ready, Mama! is the perfect companion for encouraging action, and a treasure to keep referring to for all members of the family.
The ’Get Ready, Mama!’ how-to guide begins with some feet-tickling-action to coax her out of bed. She’ll need help managing her clothes, and convincing that her second favourite breakfast will do. She’ll need to focus on packing her bag and putting on shoes – not watching TV – all the while keeping an eye on the time despite last minute outfit changes, potty stops and in-car toiletries administration. All the chaos portrayed in this book certainly is eye-opening, and this little girl certainly has her work cut out for her (don’t we know it!).
The beauty here is not only the messages of empathy, persistence, time management and learning independence through routine, but more so, the loving relationship, affection and patience between the girl and her Mama. Illustrator Arielle Li magnificently highlights the increasingly manic rush through fast and energetic vignettes and high emotions through delightfully characteristic facial expressions, and at the same time shows us the tender mother-daughter bond with her close-up scenes and warm, familiar tones of muted browns, purples and pinks done with pencil and digital art. The look on the little girl’s face when she catches her Mama watching TV is priceless! And to top it all off, there’s even a fun surprise at the end.
Get Ready, Mama! is utterly charming, sweet, playful and of course, hilarious (and motivational) with its role reversal irony and play on the usual morning mayhem routine. Children from age four, and their Mamas, will find plenty of opportunity for language experiences and role play, and repeat readings in their daily schedule. Highly recommended!
Review by Romi Sharp
Teaching notes and activities can be found at the EK Books website. Â
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GET READY, MAMA! is available for purchase through: EK Books
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