Mars Needs Moms! [Hardcover]

Berkeley Breathed (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Milo doesn't get it: What's the big deal about moms? They're just slave-driving broccoli bullies. Yet they are worshipped the world over! Perhaps even the galaxy over-because here come Martians and they're after one thing only: moms. Milo's mom in particular! That's quite a long way to come for a mom-could it be that Milo has been overlooking something special?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3–Milo just doesn't get what's so special about moms. As far as he can see, all they do is nag you to eat your broccoli and send you up to bed when you tint your little sister purple. So who needs them? Well, as it turns out, Martians do (they grow motherless from the ground like potatoes) and one night, three Martians sneak into Milo's house and steal his sleeping mother. The boy races after them, grabs onto the ladder of their spaceship, and boards it just as it blasts off. Once on Mars, he looks outside and finally understands why the Martians need a mom so badly–They needed driving to soccer! And to ballet! And to playdates, parks, and pizzas! Plus cooking and cleaning and dressing and packing lunches and bandaging boo-boos! Just then, he trips and falls and is saved by–you guessed it! And the sympathetic aliens take the boy and his mother home. The story ends with Milo waking up in his mother's bed, cuddling next to her. In typical Breathed form, the illustrations are lush, plush, and over-the-top with color, attitude, and craziness. The picture of the Martians trying to bait a mom with what looks suspiciously like a brand name Grande coffee on a line is hilarious, to say the least. Share this witty and sweet tale with young readers and their moms for a wacky treat.–Lisa Gangemi Kropp, Middle Country Public Library, Centereach, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Milo doesn't see what's so great about mothers. After all, his makes him eat his broccoli and carrots and do chores around the house and garden. When Martian raiders arrive and abduct the mothers, Milo steals on board their spaceship and discovers why the moms have been kidnapped: so that they can drive the Martians to their Martian soccer games in their Martian vans, pack lunches, and put Band-Aids on cuts. When Milo's oxygen supply is nearly cut off, his mom is there to save him, and he finds new appreciation for mothers. The colorful, almost three-dimensional computer-generated art, interspersed with old-fashioned black-and-white line drawings, are the highlight here. The Martians are suitably comical, and the pages are filled with subtle little jokes, including plenty for adults (e.g., the Martians use Starbucks coffee to lure the moms onto their spaceship). Funny and visually striking. Todd Morning
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Philomel; Reissue edition (January 6, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039924736X
• ISBN-13: 978-0399247361
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 11.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (70 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #121,849 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Berkeley Breathed lives and works in Santa Barbara, California and is the proud owner of a gentle pit bull named Ridley, a deaf dachshund named Milly, and a refugee mutt from the Puerto Rican streets named Pilar--splendidly flawed dogs, every one.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pleasing to the eye, releasing for the mind, April 16, 2007

By 

Seattle Dad - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mars Needs Moms! (Hardcover)

Breathed's art typically makes one, well, breathless. Here, with Mars Needs Moms, one becomes weightless with wonder at his drawing abilities. He's in as good of form as ever -- or better -- with this wonderful mix of humans and extra-extra terrestrials. While the art and story are literally out this world, the storyline is very earth-bound: families are so easily taken for granted, but nothing matters more in this or any other world. Breathed suggests it take a Martian's eye-view to keep us properly grounded. Nice to think about, but the real treat here is for the eyes. My son and I still periodically go back to Fudwapper and Wish for Wings that work; this surely is another opus for Breathed.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Berkeley Breathed Does It Again!, April 24, 2007

By 

Stephanie Boyman (Carmel, IN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mars Needs Moms! (Hardcover)

I loved, I mean L-O-V-E-D this book. So did my kids. I cried. They cried. We read it again and cried again. It is obvious that Breathed has stepped into parenthhood with his heart wide open. He has touched a nerve here that every parent can relate to -- unconditional love. BRAVO to Breathed. Will there be an an encore?? We hope so!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Enchanting Tale, May 11, 2007

By 

R. Vanden Eynden "roseofavalon" (Cincinnati, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mars Needs Moms! (Hardcover)

Having been a fan of Berkeley Breathed's since high school and his BLOOM COUNTY days, I was excited to find this picture book about the relationship between a boy and his mom. As the mother of twin boys, I can understand being on the receiving end of feelings similar to Milo's. The story was funny and ultimately moved me to tears. And of course, Breathed's pictures are phenomenal, characterized by his unique style and attention to detail. When I read the book with my 11-year-old boys, both of whom love to draw and dream of being comic book artists, they were very impressed with the artwork and spent time on each page, searching all of the pictures to be sure they didn't miss any elements.

With Mother's Day just around the corner, this is the perfect book for the mom in your life, especially if she has sons.