Taking Care of Mama [Hardcover]

Mitra Modarressi (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

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

It?s not easy to fill mom?s shoes!

Mama raccoon is sick in bed, so Papa and the kids pitch in to do the cooking and cleaning and take care of Baby Mabel. It should be a breeze, right? But taking care of a family is harder than it looks. As the lovable raccoons bumble their way through the household chores, doing their best to take care of Mama, too, readers will laugh out loud at the mess they manage to make?and clean up just in the nick of time.

Mitra Modarressi?s endearing illustrations of the raccoon family in its cozy tree house are the perfect accompaniment to this tribute to mothers everywhere.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2—In rhyming text, an anthropomorphized raccoon family must cope when Mama is stuck in bed with a fever. Of course, even with every other family member working hard, it is challenging to manage everything that Mama usually does all by herself. The soft watercolor cartoon illustrations flesh out the simple story and provide great punch lines to the text. In the end, Mama is surprised by how well her family has managed during her illness, but the last comical spread shows that she is in for yet another surprise.—Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

The raccoons from Stay Awake, Sally (2007) return in this story of how a family copes while Mom is in bed with a cold. Papa and the three youngsters approach their new duties with gusto, and they have fun making breakfast, playing with the baby, and collecting vegetables for a yummy stew. What starts off as play, though, develops into a giant mess, bringing new appreciation for Mama’s job, as well as immense relief when she takes over again. The watercolor scenes of the anthropomorphized raccoons capture cozy family chaos, while the smooth text makes this a good read-aloud choice Preschool-Grade 2. --Kara Dean

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (March 18, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399252169
• ISBN-13: 978-0399252167
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,131,883 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This warm, humorous, and lively tale is one that every Mama is going to want to read to her little ones!, May 9, 2010

By 

D. Fowler "Dragonfly77" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Taking Care of Mama (Hardcover)

Mama raccoon was feeling quite poorly and when Papa called the doctor it was off to bed for her. She was in her pink nightgown and, tissue in hand, kicked off her pink slippers and slipped into bed. As Mama lay there looking quite miserable, she thought to herself, "Well, I might sleep a few minutes more . . . " Papa gathered up the three children and prepared to take over the chores for the day. He flipped pancakes as the two older raccoon children took care of baby Mabel. They checked up on Mama and set right to work on making sure she was going to be fine.

By the time lunchtime rolled around the house started to look a bit messy, especially when Mabel was yanking her grilled cheese apart. "Tiptoe, tiptoe, / Mama's feeling better. / She wants to get up, / But we won't let her!" Taking care of the house was simply exhausting and soon Papa was to be found fast asleep with a couple of stacks of folded towels around him and a large basket of clothing yet to be folded. By the afternoon the house was a total mess. The trash was overflowing, the floor was all tracked up, the stove was a mess, someone had dropped a few dishes on the floor . . . were they ever going to be able to get the house cleaned up before Mama got up?

This is an utterly adorable story that every Mama will appreciate and will give her young ones a case of the giggles. The rhyming scheme in this tale was perfect and its sing song quality made it quite a humorous and enjoyable read little ones will love. The artwork brought out the care this raccoon family had for their Mama, but was a smile maker. I especially love the scene where Mama was trying to get some rest and the little ones were trying to "help" her recover. This warm, humorous, and lively tale is one that every Mama is going to want to read to her little ones!

5.0 out of 5 stars A zany picturebook tale for grades 2-4, May 18, 2010

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Taking Care of Mama (Hardcover)

In Mitra Modarressi's TAKING CARE OF MAMA, Mama raccoon is feeling sick - so Papa and the kids happily take on household chores. It should be easy - but it's not! A fun survey of household mess evolves in a zany picturebook tale for grades 2-4.