Customer Reviews

Mama's Boyz: The Big Picture: What You Need to Succeed!

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The third book in the Mama's Boyz series by Jerry Craft is MAMA'S BOYZ: THE BIG PICTURE: What You Need to Succeed! In this collection of comic strips, Craft tells a familiar story with a twist. We meet 16-year-old Yusuf, his brother, Tyrell, his family and friends. Yusuf is like most teenagers; only focusing on the here and now, with no thoughts on how his current behavior and decisions will shape his future. His mother tries to guide him and his friends in the right direction but they just don't see the importance of eating healthy, getting exercise or paying attention to their studies. One night, Yusuf makes another bad decision and eats a huge sundae before going to bed. We all know what happens next. He had a fitful night of sleep and a bad dream.

In the dream, he meets some ghosts but they aren't of his past and present. Each of these ghosts is a version of his future self (that's the twist). There is a ghost representing four of many important areas in his life: health, education, family, and appearance. They each take him down the road that his current decisions will lead him.He doesn't take education seriously, but when his "fathom of edjukashun" appears he sees where the lack of education can lead you. He also likes to wear a number 1 on his oversized jersey and his future unhealthy self wears a 100 on his shirt. Is this because he's so big or does the 100 stand for something else? To find out more about the meaning of the number and his meeting with the other ghosts of his future self, you'll have to read the story.

Overall, I enjoyed MAMA'S BOYZ: THE BIG PICTURE: What You Need to Succeed! and I know many children and teens will learn the lesson that they have to look at the big picture when making even the simple decisions in life. Jerry Craft did a great job pointing this out with lighthearted dialogue that wasn't too preachy, especially when it came to baggy clothing and exercise or lack thereof. I also enjoyed the extra tidbits in the book referred to as Crafty comments.

Reviewed by Tawana Price
of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers