Mars Needs Moms! (Hardcover)

~ (Author, Illustrator) "Mothers..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3–Milo just doesn't get what's so special about moms. As far as he can see, all they do is nag you to eat your broccoli and send you up to bed when you tint your little sister purple. So who needs them? Well, as it turns out, Martians do (they grow motherless from the ground like potatoes) and one night, three Martians sneak into Milo's house and steal his sleeping mother. The boy races after them, grabs onto the ladder of their spaceship, and boards it just as it blasts off. Once on Mars, he looks outside and finally understands why the Martians need a mom so badly–They needed driving to soccer! And to ballet! And to playdates, parks, and pizzas! Plus cooking and cleaning and dressing and packing lunches and bandaging boo-boos! Just then, he trips and falls and is saved by–you guessed it! And the sympathetic aliens take the boy and his mother home. The story ends with Milo waking up in his mother's bed, cuddling next to her. In typical Breathed form, the illustrations are lush, plush, and over-the-top with color, attitude, and craziness. The picture of the Martians trying to bait a mom with what looks suspiciously like a brand name Grande coffee on a line is hilarious, to say the least. Share this witty and sweet tale with young readers and their moms for a wacky treat.–Lisa Gangemi Kropp, Middle Country Public Library, Centereach, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Milo doesn't see what's so great about mothers. After all, his makes him eat his broccoli and carrots and do chores around the house and garden. When Martian raiders arrive and abduct the mothers, Milo steals on board their spaceship and discovers why the moms have been kidnapped: so that they can drive the Martians to their Martian soccer games in their Martian vans, pack lunches, and put Band-Aids on cuts. When Milo's oxygen supply is nearly cut off, his mom is there to save him, and he finds new appreciation for mothers. The colorful, almost three-dimensional computer-generated art, interspersed with old-fashioned black-and-white line drawings, are the highlight here. The Martians are suitably comical, and the pages are filled with subtle little jokes, including plenty for adults (e.g., the Martians use Starbucks coffee to lure the moms onto their spaceship). Funny and visually striking. Todd Morning
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Philomel (April 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039924736X
• ISBN-13: 978-0399247361
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #14,350 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pleasing to the eye, releasing for the mind, April 16, 2007

By	Seattle Dad - See all my reviews

Breathed's art typically makes one, well, breathless. Here, with Mars Needs Moms, one becomes weightless with wonder at his drawing abilities. He's in as good of form as ever -- or better -- with this wonderful mix of humans and extra-extra terrestrials. While the art and story are literally out this world, the storyline is very earth-bound: families are so easily taken for granted, but nothing matters more in this or any other world. Breathed suggests it take a Martian's eye-view to keep us properly grounded. Nice to think about, but the real treat here is for the eyes. My son and I still periodically go back to Fudwapper and Wish for Wings that work; this surely is another opus for Breathed.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Berkeley Breathed Does It Again! , April 24, 2007

By	Stephanie Boyman (Carmel, IN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I loved, I mean L-O-V-E-D this book. So did my kids. I cried. They cried. We read it again and cried again. It is obvious that Breathed has stepped into parenthhood with his heart wide open. He has touched a nerve here that every parent can relate to -- unconditional love. BRAVO to Breathed. Will there be an an encore?? We hope so!

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moved Me to Tears..., May 9, 2007

By	Rumiwon - See all my reviews

During storytime at Barnes & Noble this morning, the storyteller read this book in preparation for Mother's Day. Towards the end, I was actually tearing up and had to look away from the book lest I embarrass myself in front of the other mothers who were there.

I loved this story, the storyline is creative starting with a boy who doesn't appreciate his mother at all through the progression of his fears that his mother was abducted, to the ultimate sacrifice his mother made for him in the end. It's a life lesson for this little boy, however young he is, and his heart grows tremendously by the end of the story to show his gratefulness towards his mother. The aliens learn a lesson in love as well at the end of the story.

The illustrations in this book is fantastic, with great detail and a sense of realistic visual impact to the readers. The colors are very vibrant and use of muted colors as well as bright colors are perfectly controlled to give this story an artistic rendition and a sense that you can even be in it along side the characters. This is a very touching book and I recommend this to all mothers, young and old.