Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? (Hardcover)

~ (Author, Illustrator) "YES! A KANGAROO has a mother..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Yes! A kangaroo has a mother. Just like me and you." Tremendously popular author/illustrator Eric Carle needs no introduction. Readers wait eagerly for every new picture book--and nobody will be disappointed with this one. In this Very Simple story, an unseen child asks variations on the same question: "Does a lion/monkey/dolphin have a mother, too?" The response is always the same: a big colorful "YES!" with the soothing reassurance that, "like me and you," everyone has a mother. Repetition is the name of the game, here, because nothing comforts like reiteration.

Those on the verge of reading will enjoy the question and answer format, which is clearly designed to be read aloud. A list of the names of animal babies, parents, and groups is included--did you know that a group of bears is called a "sloth"? Or that a group of foxes is a "skulk"? Carle's trademark collages are as colorful and luminous as those found in any of his other well-loved modern classics (including The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Very Quiet Cricket); as usual, the illustrations are so good they're worthy of framing. (Ages 2 to 7) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly

"YES! A kangaroo has a mother. Just like you and me," responds Carle to the query posed by the title of his latest collage-filled book. Ten additional, identically phrased questions and answers follow, each centered on a different animal, including the lion, penguin, swan, bear, elephant and monkey. This limited, singsong text may make reading aloud repetitious, but Carle's collages are as vibrant and refreshing as ever. Innovative textures, quirky perspectives and glowing, jewel tones mark these stylized images of affectionate animal mothers and their endearing young. The final query ("And do animal mothers love their babies?") breaks the narrative pattern, though the rejoinder is just as predictable: "YES! YES! Of course they do. Animal mothers love their babies, just as yours loves you." Though this will likely not be the perennial favorite among Carle's creations, it has an appealing twinkle. At book's end is a roundup of the specific names of each animal baby, its parents and group name (e.g., for sheep: the baby is a lamb, a ewe and ram are its parents, a group is a flock). Ages 3-6. (Jan.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (March 22, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060287683
• ISBN-13: 978-0060287689
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #673,926 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MOTHERLY LOVE ----- TWELVE TIMES OVER, December 11, 2000

By	david hurburgh (Flinders VIC Australia) - See all my reviews

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Some readers (particularly adults) may find this recent book by the venerable Eric Carle a little bit on the repetitive side or even short of plot. However the target audience for this book (2 to 4 YO's) are expert practitioners in the art of the repeated question .... with slight variations of course.

This book will appeal to the instinctive nature of young children to want to learn by covering the same ground (with slight variations of course) by going over a topic again and again (and again!)

The success of this book, shows the value of well structured rote learning. When done in an appealing way, like Mr Carle does, it is totally natural. The dynamic links between each question, page and animal will draw children along. The reward at the end of the book is the assurance that "animal mothers love their babies just as yours loves you".

If you find yourself saying to your kids "how many times do I have to tell you" then perhaps spending some time with this book may be just as instructive to you as it is to the children.

This book compares well with "The Hungry Caterpillar" where we learnt about numbers and time and tummy aches! In the "Does a Kangaroo.." we learn the importance of the loving relationships between parents and their offspring (BOING.... BOING)

Another great book by Eric Carle. His artwork is better than ever.

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Sweet, dull, but gramatically CORRECT, June 23, 2005

By	Adam L. Grundvig (Salt Lake City UT) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I agree with recent reviewers who have recommended other animal-based Eric Carle books instead of this one. The verse is repetitive, which makes it easier for my son to learn early word recognition, and the theme is rather sweet, but other Eric Carle books ("Slowly, slowly, slowly said the Sloth" and "Mister Seahorse") are far superior.

I'd also like to respond to the reviewer who stated this book is gramatically incorrect. That's actually not true. The word "like" in "just LIKE you and me" is used as a preposition to convey relatedness of one thing to another. Since it's used as a preposition, the pronouns ("you" and "me" or "I") that follow must be objective (as in OBJECT of the preposition) case rather than subjective case. "You" is both a subjective and objective case pronoun. "I" is a subjective case pronoun, while "me" is an objective case pronoun. Therefore, "me" is the appropriate choice and "just like you and me" is gramatically correct.

Why the grammar lesson? One of the things I love about Eric Carle books is that the grammar is always correct. Any child who reads his books benefits from the colorful collage paintings, playful verse, AND exposure to correct grammar. All are essential for successful early reading.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful illustrations, May 28, 2001

By A Customer

We own nearly all of Eric Carle's books, and this one, though written with a sweet message (all mommies love their babies), comes across as a bit repetitive. My two year old is not captivated by the story (each page asks the same question that is answered on the next page, using different animals each time), but she loves to look at the pictures and the book has served as a great tool for teaching the names of animal babies - the last page of the book even includes the names, if you don't know them (ie, a baby horse is a foal, but what is a baby swan or kangaroo). I'd buy the book just for this information and the illustrations.