From Publishers Weekly
Two children lead a gendarme on a hunt for their mother with "delightfully unlikely" results, said PW, praising the 1920s Paris setting established by Goode's "finely detailed period art." Ages 3-7.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-- The original Gare d'Orsay Train Station in Paris circa 1920 is the setting for this winning tribute to the enduring belief that one's own mother is the best in the world. Mama has her hands full with the baby in her arms and two preschoolers in tow when a gust of wind from an incoming train blows her hat away. "Stay right here while I find it," she cautions the children. When they become separated, a helpful gendarme leads them throughout Paris on a search for their mother. "Is this your mama?," he says as they arrive at the opera. "Oh no, sir. Our mama is very slim. But Mama cooks the best food in the world." And so the dialogue is repeated as they reject the cook, teacher, etc.--until the oldest child remembers her mother's original instructions and they are joyfully reunited back at the station. Clever viewers will enjoy spotting the mother on her own search for the children. Goode has crafted a book that is both elegant and childlike. The full-color art evokes a glamorous, multiethnic Parisian milieu; marbleized endpapers and a classic border contribute to the handsome design. The characters' expressive features conveying the fear and bewilderment of separation, the gendarme's humorous attempts at matchmaking, and the appealing repetitive rhythm of the simple text will also make this an inviting choice for story hours. --Caroline Ward, Nassau Library System, Uniondale, NY
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.