Mama Outside, Mama Inside [Hardcover]

Dianna Hutts Aston (Author), Susan Gaber (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

The perfect book for Mother's Day!

A mother has lots of preparation to do when expecting a baby--whether she's a bird weaving a nest in the tree outside, or a woman setting up a nursery inside her home. In this heartwarming picture book, two mothers share a common love of their babies, until one day it's time for Mama Outside to follow her babies into the sky and fly away.

Dianna Hutts Aston details the experience of motherhood in lyrical prose, and Susan Gaber's illustrations beautifully render the inside and outside lives of two new mothers.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2–Warm, expressive paintings make this picture book a joyful experience. A human mother (Mama Inside) elaborates on the days that she spends awaiting the arrival of her baby, while a bluebird (Mama Outside) awaits her little ones. The author relates the similar experiences of the two expectant mothers–and fathers–as they prepare for the days ahead. When the babies arrive, there is time for song, food, rocking, and a good deal of growing. This heartwarming look at families is irresistible.–Andrea Tarr, Corona Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-K. Soft, glowing acrylic art and gentle, simple prose establish parallels between two mothers-to-be--a bird (Mama Outside) and a human (Mama Inside)--both of whom are preparing for new babies. With art that juxtaposes the characters on facing pages or incorporates them into spreads with external or internal window views, the story portrays similarities--as Mama Outside feathers her nest, Mama Inside furnishes the baby's room. There are also differences; the bird's babies "peck-peck-peck until their shells crick-crick-cr-a-ack!" while that same morning, Mama Inside's baby "slips into the world." At book's end, the mamas share a moment of eye contact, then mama bird and babies take to the sky, and the human mother rocks her child to sleep. The parallels and the illustrations warmly convey motherly love and care (with some daddy participation) in both the human and the animal world. Shelle Rosenfeld
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); First Edition edition (April 4, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805077162
• ISBN-13: 978-0805077162
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,173,269 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dianna Hutts Aston is the author of Mama's Wild Child / Papa's Wild Child, When You Were Born(Candlewick), and An Egg is Quiet(Chronicle). She lives in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book, July 11, 2011

By 

J. Fields (Richmond, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mama Outside, Mama Inside (Hardcover)

Found this by chance in the library while visiting family. My two-year-old son loved it, and so did I! A really beautiful and warmly written book. I can't imagine anyone not liking it.

5.0 out of 5 stars We love it too., August 5, 2009

By 

E. Wilson (Maryland) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mama Outside, Mama Inside (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my 2 year old son now that I'm expecting #2. He really enjoys it and we have read it several times. The story is really nice about how the two mamas prepare for and then care for their new babies. It is also nice that the bird daddy and the human daddy are included in the caring. I really appreciate that the mom in this book breastfeeds her baby since that is how I'll be feeding mine as well. I would also note that out of the 6 books I bought on the topic of pregnancy/new baby for my son this is the ONLY one I liked. Five stars!

5.0 out of 5 stars My son and I love this book!, December 11, 2008

By 

Rebecca Emmons "frog_buddha" (Stillwater, OK) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mama Outside, Mama Inside (Hardcover)

I checked this book out from our library and I absolutely love it. The story shows mothers in parallel - a mama bird and a human mama preparing for the birth of their babies, and then caring for them. The book also includes fathers and some ways they help the mamas. The artwork is beautiful, serene, pleasant to look at but never dull. Perhaps from hormones, I started crying when I read this to my son the first time (he was about 14 months old and I was about 5 months pregnant at the time).

My son loved reading this book and would have me read it several times in a row, several times a day. He pointed at the pictures and especially loved when I'd cheep for the newborn birds and "waaah" for the newborn baby. This is an excellent any-time-of-day book, but I think it's great for introducing your child to new babies, especially if you're expecting again, because of how complete the narrative is.

You will not regret buying this book.