Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? [Hardcover]

Eric Carle (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Do animals have mothers, too? Of course they do -- just like me and you!

Meet the little joey, whose kangaroo mother carries him in her pouch. See the cygnet riding on the back of the mother swan. Eric Carle's colorful collages of animal babies with their caring and affectionate mothers offer small readers visual delight as well as comforting reassurance.

The playful question-and-answer text invites children and adults to read aloud together. Repetition of key phrases helps preschoolers take the first step toward reading readiness. And the gamelike format makes it easy and fun to discover more about the world of nature and to learn the common names of some familiar -- and some not-so-familiar -- animals. A bonus page at the back of the book lists the correct but sometimes surprising names of animal babies, their parents, and groups.

Eric Carle is the creator of many beloved picture books for very small children. Here he offers a beautiful way for parents and children to share the knowledge that love crosses all boundaries and ties all creatures on this earth together.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Yes! A kangaroo has a mother. Just like me and you." Tremendously popular author/illustrator Eric Carle needs no introduction. Readers wait eagerly for every new picture book--and nobody will be disappointed with this one. In this Very Simple story, an unseen child asks variations on the same question: "Does a lion/monkey/dolphin have a mother, too?" The response is always the same: a big colorful "YES!" with the soothing reassurance that, "like me and you," everyone has a mother. Repetition is the name of the game, here, because nothing comforts like reiteration.

Those on the verge of reading will enjoy the question and answer format, which is clearly designed to be read aloud. A list of the names of animal babies, parents, and groups is included--did you know that a group of bears is called a "sloth"? Or that a group of foxes is a "skulk"? Carle's trademark collages are as colorful and luminous as those found in any of his other well-loved modern classics (including The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Very Quiet Cricket); as usual, the illustrations are so good they're worthy of framing. (Ages 2 to 7) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly

"YES! A kangaroo has a mother. Just like you and me," responds Carle to the query posed by the title of his latest collage-filled book. Ten additional, identically phrased questions and answers follow, each centered on a different animal, including the lion, penguin, swan, bear, elephant and monkey. This limited, singsong text may make reading aloud repetitious, but Carle's collages are as vibrant and refreshing as ever. Innovative textures, quirky perspectives and glowing, jewel tones mark these stylized images of affectionate animal mothers and their endearing young. The final query ("And do animal mothers love their babies?") breaks the narrative pattern, though the rejoinder is just as predictable: "YES! YES! Of course they do. Animal mothers love their babies, just as yours loves you." Though this will likely not be the perennial favorite among Carle's creations, it has an appealing twinkle. At book's end is a roundup of the specific names of each animal baby, its parents and group name (e.g., for sheep: the baby is a lamb, a ewe and ram are its parents, a group is a flock). Ages 3-6. (Jan.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (March 22, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060287683
• ISBN-13: 978-0060287689
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 11.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #254,020 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Eric Carle is acclaimed and beloved as the creator of brilliantly illustrated and innovatively designed picture books for young children.


Eric was born in Syracuse, New York, in 1929, and moved with his parents to Germany when he was six years old. After graduating from art school, he returned to America, the land of his happiest childhood memories, and found work as a graphic designer.


After seeing an advertisement designed by Eric, respected educator and author, Bill Martin Jr, called to ask him to illustrate a story he had written. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, with its distinctive collage style, was the result of their collaboration. This favorite was the beginning of Eric Carle's true career. Soon Eric was writing his own stories, developing a close bond with Ann Beneduce, the founder of Philomel Books, who would be his editor for nearly 40 years. In 1969 they published the celebrated classic, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which has eaten its way into the hearts of literally millions of children all over the world and has been translated into more than 30 languages. Since this beginning, Eric Carle has illustrated more than seventy books, many best sellers, most of which he also wrote.


The secret of Eric Carle's books' appeal lies in his intuitive understanding of and respect for children, who sense in him instinctively someone who shares their most cherished thoughts and emotions. He says "I believe the passage from home to school is the second biggest trauma of childhood; the first is, of course, being born.
Indeed, in both cases we leave a place of warmth and protection for one that is unknown. The unknown often brings fear with it. In my books I try to counteract this fear, to replace it with a positive message. I believe that children are naturally creative and eager to learn. I want to show them that learning is really both fascinating and fun."


Eric Carle has two grown-up children, a son and a daughter. He and his wife Barbara divide their time between Massachusetts and Florida.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Sweet, dull, but gramatically CORRECT, June 23, 2005

By 

Adam L. Grundvig (Salt Lake City UT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? (Hardcover)

I agree with recent reviewers who have recommended other animal-based Eric Carle books instead of this one. The verse is repetitive, which makes it easier for my son to learn early word recognition, and the theme is rather sweet, but other Eric Carle books ("Slowly, slowly, slowly said the Sloth" and "Mister Seahorse") are far superior.

I'd also like to respond to the reviewer who stated this book is gramatically incorrect. That's actually not true. The word "like" in "just LIKE you and me" is used as a preposition to convey relatedness of one thing to another. Since it's used as a preposition, the pronouns ("you" and "me" or "I") that follow must be objective (as in OBJECT of the preposition) case rather than subjective case. "You" is both a subjective and objective case pronoun. "I" is a subjective case pronoun, while "me" is an objective case pronoun. Therefore, "me" is the appropriate choice and "just like you and me" is gramatically correct.

Why the grammar lesson? One of the things I love about Eric Carle books is that the grammar is always correct. Any child who reads his books benefits from the colorful collage paintings, playful verse, AND exposure to correct grammar. All are essential for successful early reading.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MOTHERLY LOVE ----- TWELVE TIMES OVER, December 11, 2000

By 

"hurburgh" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? (Hardcover)

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Some readers (particularly adults) may find this recent book by the venerable Eric Carle a little bit on the repetitive side or even short of plot. However the target audience for this book (2 to 4 YO's) are expert practitioners in the art of the repeated question .... with slight variations of course.

This book will appeal to the instinctive nature of young children to want to learn by covering the same ground (with slight variations of course) by going over a topic again and again (and again!)

The success of this book, shows the value of well structured rote learning. When done in an appealing way, like Mr Carle does, it is totally natural. The dynamic links between each question, page and animal will draw children along. The reward at the end of the book is the assurance that "animal mothers love their babies just as yours loves you".

If you find yourself saying to your kids "how many times do I have to tell you" then perhaps spending some time with this book may be just as instructive to you as it is to the children.

This book compares well with "The Hungry Caterpillar" where we learnt about numbers and time and tummy aches! In the "Does a Kangaroo.." we learn the importance of the loving relationships between parents and their offspring (BOING.... BOING)

Another great book by Eric Carle. His artwork is better than ever.

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful illustrations, May 28, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? (Hardcover)

We own nearly all of Eric Carle's books, and this one, though written with a sweet message (all mommies love their babies), comes across as a bit repetitive. My two year old is not captivated by the story (each page asks the same question that is answered on the next page, using different animals each time), but she loves to look at the pictures and the book has served as a great tool for teaching the names of animal babies - the last page of the book even includes the names, if you don't know them (ie, a baby horse is a foal, but what is a baby swan or kangaroo). I'd buy the book just for this information and the illustrations.