Papa, Do You Love Me? [Hardcover]

Barbara M. Joosse (Author), Barbara Lavallee (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up | Series: Mama

This follow-up to the best-selling Mama, Do You Love Me? (over one million copies sold in 15 languages!) captures the universal love between a father and child. Set in Africa and featuring the Maasai culture, the beautiful watercolor illustrations, lyrical text, and enduring message are sure to make this another instant classic.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2–This title follows the format of Joosse's Mama, Do You Love Me? (Chronicle, 1991). In Papa, a Maasai father reassures his young son that his love is unconditional and endless. In answer to his son's questions, he explains that he will always protect the boy from the dangers of the Serengeti Plain and teaches him how to find water in their harsh environment. A glossary elaborates on the concepts introduced, such as the importance of cattle in Maasai life, medicinal uses of the Greenheart tree, and the role of the herd boy. The bright, stylized watercolors reflect the warm hues of the Serengeti. Details are clearly rendered, allowing children to visualize life in a culture different from their own. The father's red robe sweeps across much of the book, wrapping his small son in its protective embrace. Parents will snatch up this tender, reassuring book for bedtime read-alouds. Teachers of early elementary students may wish to use it as an introduction to the life of the Maasai.–Suzanne Myers Harold, Multnomah County Library System, Portland, OR
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. The creators of the wildly popular Mama, Do You Love Me 1991), featuring an Inuit mother and daughter, focus on another indigenous culture to tell a simple tale of parental love. This time, the characters are a Masai father and son. While herding cattle, a boy tests his father's affection with a question game that fans of Mama will recognize: "Papa, do you love me? . . . How much? . . . How long?" Each time, Papa answers with reassuring words that reference Masai life: "I love you more than the warrior loves to leap." Lavallee's delicately shaded watercolors in brilliant reds and sunlit golds extend the story' warm sentiments, and children will enjoy spotting the many animals in the pictures. An annotated glossary offers more information about the Masai's traditional culture. Few picture books star African fathers and sons, and this one, like Mama, will probably draw a large, devoted following for its strong message of unconditional love. For more books about fathers and sons, see the Read-alikes, "A Day with Dad," in the June 2005 issue. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 36 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (April 21, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811842657
• ISBN-13: 978-0811842655
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #383,303 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Barbara Joosse is the author of the ever-popular Mama, Do You Love Me?, along with many other books for young readers. She lives in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A special book for dads to read aloud, July 23, 2005

By 

Morgan's Mom - See all my reviews

This review is from: Papa, Do You Love Me? (Hardcover)

This companion to the popular book "Mama Do You Love Me" transfers the concept of a child seeking reassurance of a parent's unswerving love from the Inuit people of Alaska to the Masai people of Africa. In this book, a young Masai boy asks his father how much the father loves him. The resulting dialog, meant to reassure the boy that a father's love is unconditional, makes up the majority of the story.

This book seems to address some of the concerns of some reviewers of "Mama Do You Love Me," who worried that book encouraged bad behavior. In that book, the young daughter asks if her mother would love her even if she did very naughty things, like throwing water on the family's lamp; no matter what, the mother's answer was always that she would love the daughter. In this book, the young son never gets up to any intentional mischief; in fact, many of the son's questions result in the father explaining how he would help teach his son or protect him from danger. In this way, it seemed like a very realistic way to present one of the differences between how some mothers and fathers relate to their children. The father in this story says the actual words "I love you" far less than the mother in "Mama Do You Love Me," but he shows his love for his son through his actions.

Children who enjoy the repeated "I love you" refrain in "Mama Do You Love Me" may be disappointed not to find it in this book. However, the engaging story and beautiful illustrations should go a long way towards making up for that. Overall, this is a touching story that's perfect for fathers to read to both their sons and daughters.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a father's love is unconditional, too, August 29, 2007

By 

doc peterson (Portland, Oregon USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Papa, Do You Love Me? (Hardcover)

The authors of "Mama do you love me?" have written "Papa do you love me?", this time set in east Africa. Perhaps it is because I am a father, but I liked this one better, if only because the characters present less mischief. As a previous reviewer noted, the quiet refrain of "do you love me" is of course answered in the affirmative, but the gentle reassurance the father gives is more concerned with guidance and protection. Like "Mama, do you love me?" the book is sweet, and the art work is beautiful. Recommended, especially for single dads.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, November 9, 2010

By 

LP (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Papa, Do You Love Me? (Hardcover)

Our kids love the other book (Mama Do you Love Me), and it's nice on two levels, teaching about unconditional love, and also teaching about different cultures. This one is similar, though the page on which hyenas kill a cow has upstaged the intended messages for the time being. I think having hyenas surround and kill a cow on a darkly illustrated page is a little unnecessary, and my kids keep opening it to that page and asking me about it, so I know it's making an impression on them. They're nearly 4. Their other books don't have killing. I'm not sure what I think of this. Otherwise, it's a sweet book.