All the Mamas : A True Love Story for Mothers and Daughters of All Ages [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Carol Gandee Shough (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Written in the tradition of the classic I Will Love You Forever, All The Mamas is a love story of the bond between mother and daughter. Based on a true genealogical record of an American family, the story covers events in history that were realities for each Mama as she raised her daughter -- the computer technological age, space exploration, World War II, the beginning of manned flight, the Industrial Revolution, the Civil War, the westward migration, the Revolutionary War. This book is appropriate as a read-aloud picture book, a historical saga, or as a keepsake book for the adult reader -- especially as a gift for a first-time mother. Its powerful, emotional theme of mother and child will make this an enduring classic.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-Shough has taken her own family history and created a picture book about mother-daughter love across eight generations. This "slice of time" opens with the author's own daughter and baby granddaughter whose modern world is tied together by computers. Each succeeding one-to-three page section introduces the previous generation of women and describes their lifestyle, going back to Rachel Drewey, who was born in Virginia in the 1760s. The brief vignettes are tied together with the refrain, "And this I know, I know for sure...(her) Mama held her, kissed her, loved her. Just as I love you." Muted drawings done in oil pastel and colored pencil provide the backdrop for the story. The book is for quiet and contemplative times and will best be used in one-on-one settings between parent (or grandparent) and child.
Roxanne Burg, Thousand Oaks Library, CA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 5^-7. The timeless continuity of mother love receives an eloquent tribute with this debut, based on Shough's own family history. Although a story with no beginning or end, it starts with baby Madeleine being held, kissed, and loved by her mama, Jenni--just as Jenni was when she was a child and her mama, too, and so on back more than two centuries to Rachel's mother, whose name is lost, and all the generations preceding. Written in blank verse but printed as prose, the incantatory text reads with a strong, soothing rhythm; the spread-filling pastels have less finish but show Jenni and her mama, Carol, watching the moon landing on TV, Carol as a child "helping" her mother maintain a Victory Garden, their ancestors watching redcoats march past, and a parade of mothers and children in a final historical montage, all depicted in ways that show love without oversentimentalizing it. Shough identifies each era with references to large, well-known events; for thought-provoking counterpoint, match this with Betsy Hearne's 1997 Booklist Editors' Choice Seven Brave Women, a similar commemoration in which history is not anchored to war or politics. John Peters

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Carol Shough; 1st edition (July 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1887714294
• ISBN-13: 978-1887714297
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,195,546 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the perfect gift for a new Mom or for Mother's Day, April 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: All the Mamas : A True Love Story for Mothers and Daughters of All Ages (Hardcover)

I in fact bought this book for my Mom for Mother's Day because I fell in love with it in the store. It made me feel a connection to mothers throughout all of time and especially added a bond between my mother and myself--that we aren't just mother/daughter but we are mothers together in human history. It is a great way to introduce American history to a young child. I can not recommend it more highly. Get it today if possible.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An instant classic for mothers and daughters to read aloud., June 25, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: All the Mamas : A True Love Story for Mothers and Daughters of All Ages (Hardcover)

An instant classic, "All the Mamas" is THE book for mothers, daughters, and grandmothers to enjoy together. From present day to Revolutionary times, it goes back in time, generation by generation, showing how bonds of love link families together. Based on Shough's own family research, it shows that times may change but love endures. Fresh and heartfelt, the blank verse is written to be read aloud. And the colorful illustrations are filled with warmth and nostalgia. A very special book!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All The Mama's is wonderful., April 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: All the Mamas : A True Love Story for Mothers and Daughters of All Ages (Hardcover)

I cried the first time I read this book. It touches your heart, and your mind. It fills readers young and old with a connection for their past, and hope for the future, with it's lyrical and loving prose and pictures. It would make a great gift for a new mother or grandmother. I absolutly loved it.

I would also recommend Pockets and The Malachite Palace, if you liked this book as much as my daughter and I did.