What Mommies Do Best/ What Daddies Do Best [Hardcover]

Laura Numeroff (Author), Lynn Munsinger (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: April 1, 1998 | Age Range: 4 and up | Lexile Measure: 390L (What's this?)

Daddies can do lots of things, like bake you a birthday cake, play with you in the park, and take you trick-or-treating. But what do they do best?

Mommies can do lots of things, like teach you how to ride a bike, sew a loose button on your teddy bear, and read you a cozy bedtime story. But what do they do best? The answer is made perfectly clear in this irresistible celebration of parents and the everyday things they do.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1?An appealing flip book that presents mirrored texts. The first half shows a mother bear, pig, mouse, elephant, and porcupine engaging in everyday activities with her children. Readers learn that Mommies can build a snowman with you, bake a birthday cake, "sew the loose button on your teddy bear," watch the sunset, read a story, or "hold you when you're feeling sad." But best, "Mommies can give you lots and lots of love." Flip the book and read that Daddies can do the same thing. Munsinger's winsome watercolor depictions of the animals are warm and humorous. A perfect cuddly bedtime or storytime read-aloud choice, this title practically begs preschool or early elementary teachers to help children write and illustrate their own versions to present to their parents for holiday or any-day gifts.?Susan Hepler, Burgundy Farm Country Day School, Alexandria, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 3^-6. Although the title seems very sex-role specific, this sweet picture book is anything but. It is actually two stories in one, with the separate tales coming together in the center double spread, one side of which appears upside down. When children open What Mommies Do Best, they'll be treated to pictures of a variety of animal moms and their children reading stories, playing ball in the park, making snowmen, and watching the sunset. If they close the book and turn it upside down, they'll see What Daddies Do Best the same things Moms do. As usual, Munsinger's watercolors are bright and funny, and her animal characters are delightful. The book design may be gimmicky, but it will appeal to little ones, who will find the whole a soothing, comforting view of the ways parents can and do love their kids, somehow different yet so much the same. Stephanie Zvirin

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; 1st edition (April 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689805772
• ISBN-13: 978-0689805776
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.5 x 10.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #117,450 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Laura Numeroff grew up in Brooklyn, with her mother, father and two older sisters. Her house was filled with books, art, music and folk dancing.

She attended Pratt Institute and graduated with a degree in communications and a contract for her first children's book, AMY FOR SHORT, published in 1975 by Macmillan.

A New York Times best-selling children's book author, Laura is best known for the series based on her book IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE. First printed in 1985, "Mouse" is in its 40th printing. The fourth book in the series, IF YOU TAKE A MOUSE TO THE MOVIES was on the New York Times Children's Best Seller list for five months- nine weeks at number one.

Publisher's Weekly listed IF YOU TAKE A MOUSE TO THE MOVIES as the number two book for children in 2000 (Harry Potter was number one) and at one point, Laura had three books on the New York Times Bestseller List in the same week.

In 2000, IF YOU GIVE A PIG A PANCAKE was featured on the Oprah show three times, and was recommended by Oprah's first kids' book club, as well as being noted as Oprah's favorite children's book of the year on her Christmas show. "PIG" was also on Publisher's Weekly Bestseller List for over a year. In addition, the series has sold over 4.5 million copies, been printed in fourteen languages, and won the prestigious Quill Award in the picture book category.

Some of Laura's other books currently in print are: WHAT MOMMIES DO BEST/WHAT DADDIES DO BEST, DOGS DON'T WEAR GLASSES, THE CHICKEN SISTERS, WHY A DISGUISE? The first two books in Laura's JELLYBEANS book series made the New York Times Best Seller List.

Hillary Clinton, President Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush have all read Laura's books to kids. First Lady Michelle Obama, her mother, her daughters, Malia and Sasha read Laura's book at the 2010 Easter Egg Roll on the White House Lawn. Laura was one of ten children's authors invited to a literacy day in Washington during the Bush administration in 2001. She has also visited over 100 elementary schools and has been a speaker at teacher conferences around the country.

Laura donates book sales to FIRST BOOK, a non-profit organization that provides brand new books to children who otherwise would not have access to them. She has also donated all royalties from THE HOPE TREE- KIDS TALK OUT ABOUT BREAST CANCER, to the Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Laura has appeared on The Today show twice as well as Good Morning America. On her December 13th, 2000 appearance on The Today Show, Laura donated 500 Mouse mini-books with doll ornaments to the show's toy drive.

When not writing, Laura takes tennis lessons (she says she's not very good but loves it anyway), reads to children in hospitals and foster homes and calls herself a book and movie fanatic.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Double Love and Challenging Parental Stereotypes! May 17, 2001

By Donald Mitchell HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

This volume is two books in one, but with different illustrations built around identical texts (except one version talks about "mommies" while the other one talks about "daddies"). One cover has the mommies while the other cover has the daddies. The two texts and covers are printed upside down from one another. I've never seen a book quite like it. Just when you think that it's merely cute, you begin to notice subtle differences. The sex roles are mixed among the parents, and the illustrations mix it up even more. Mommies are messier than in the usual expectation in some cases, while daddies are neater than the usual expectation in other cases. The illustrations feature warm, funny anthropomorphic animals that will have you and your child giggling. The book will encourage much more involvement for both parents with your youngster. I recommend this book as a gift from a child for either mother's day or father's day.

The mommies' version begins with bears while the daddies' has hippos. I think the mommies got the advantage on that one. " . . . can teach you how to ride a bicycle, make a snowman with you, and bake a delicious cake for your birthday." The daddies' cake is much nicer though. Maybe the daddies did okay. What do you think?

The mommies' version goes on to use pigs. Hmmm. " . . . can help you make a garden grow, give you a piggyback ride, and take care of you when you're sick." But daddies are goats. I'm not sure either parent was advantaged here.

The mommies pick up as mice. That one had me laughing. " . . . can watch the sun set with you, sew the loose button on your teddy bear, and hold you when you're feeling sad." The daddies are foxes. I roared when I saw that.

In the next section, mommies are elephants. " . . . can take you trick-or-treating, help you give the dog a bath, and play in the park with your rollarblades." Daddies are rabbits. Mommies have the weight edge here.

In the final section, mommies become . . . porcupines. " . . . can read you a bed time story, tuck you in, and kiss you good-night." "But best of all, . . . can give you lots and lots of love!" Guess what daddies are? Crocodiles! Pretty sharp, eh?

However you decide to have fun with this book, it should add a whole new meaning to parenting in your household. Whether you are a mommy or a daddy, I suspect this book will give you the chance to do more things with your children. That's a great gift!

After you finish the book, you might ask your child to discuss what animals other people remind her or him of. You can extend the humor in that way, and also get many interesting insights into how you child sees and thinks about others.

Erase parental stereotypes with a big dose of laughter!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for children who have one or both parents. January 22, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

My 18-month old loves this book. It accomodates the father which is great since my daughter loves to have her daddy read to her. Additionally it covers a wide variety of activities that parents might engage in with their children. The only thing that struck me funny is that the illustrations for the Daddies version indicate that dads are fancier/do things better. It's not a criticism, just funny. The daddy makes a grand cake, and the mommy is slopping stuff all over the kitchen. In another scene, the daddy is trimming a topiary, and the mommy is hoeing in a corn field. But regardless, a unique book that caters to parents' situations.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What Mommies/Daddies do Best November 4, 2004

By Bonnie Sayers VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Two books in one showing parenting is universal. My seven-year old after reading a few times What Mommies Do Best/What Daddies Do Best can now breeze through it so much so that I feel it is more rote reading than mastering reading fluency. This is a bit too easy for him, but I liked the book for showing how Mommies and Daddies can do the same things, if they are so inclined to do so. My son learned to pronounce Mommies and Daddies very clearly by continuing to read this book and he does not sound monotone now.

My son also liked to go back and forth between sides to see how the other parent handled that particular page. The changing of the animals kept the imagination going and predicting which would next appear when he first started reading What Mommies Do Best/What Daddies Do Best. Each book consists of seventeen pages although they are not numbered.

The section entitled, What Daddies Do Best starts off with the same text as What Mommies Do Best, with the only differences being the animals and illustrations to suit the gender. For example the Mommy was on a bicycle pedaling up the hill with the child behind on a smaller bike. When we get to What Daddies Do Best the Daddy is pushing the kid on the bike. Their cake is quite a masterpiece with them both donning the white bakers' hats with a four tiered cake decorated in pink and blue icing.

This winning combination of author and illustrator shows how equally either parent can do something that still helps the child feel special and loved. They are different but the love for the child shines through in their role as parents in all that they do.

For those that have spouses with a sense of humor this would be an ideal book for Father's Day, without letting on the other side is all about What Mommies Do Best. The reading level would be about five to seven with the interest for kids from toddlers through elementary age.