Mommy, Mama, and Me

Hello! Hola! Hallo! Kon’nichiwa! Bonjour!

To kick off the inaugural book review category, I’ll be reading and reviewing picture book “Mommy, Mama, and Me”.

Author: Lesléa Newman | Illustrated by Carol Thompson

Mommy, Mama, and Me was first published in 2009 by Tricycle Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

Let’s get down to the review!

Mommy, Mama, and Me is among the growing list of books focused on promoting diversity in children’s lives. Let me say this book was launched during the best time possible in the United States. During that time, the United States was already a year-and-a-half into Barack Obama’s presidency – an era where LGBT+ rights and positive communities began flourishing.

Carol Thompson, the illustrator on this book, truly captured the essence of being no different than any other loving family. And as I read through this charming little rhyming book, I couldn’t help but notice the subtle nods by Newman and Thompson regarding most key topics anti-LGBT groups focus on most.

This book decisively delivers a clear message of diversity, acceptance, tolerance, and love without what some consider “preachy” or “over the top” nuances of the aforementioned.

Mommy, Mama, and Me is the perfect book for teaching young children diversity, acceptance, and tolerance.

“We’re all the same” is the best lesson from this beautifully illustrated children’s book.

Lesléa (pronounced “Lez-LEE-uh”) Newman was born in Brooklyn, NY, and grew up there and on Long Island, graduating from Jericho High School in 1973 (where she was voted Class Wit!). Right after graduation, she became a published author for the first time; several of her poems were published in Seventeen Magazine.

Mommy, Mama, and Me and Daddy, Papa, and Me are the first board books ever published for kids who live in two-mom and two-dad families. Both books depict a fun-filled day in the life of a happy, loving family.

I wrote these books because I think it is important for kids from all types of families to see themselves portrayed in books. It validates their experience, and teaches alll of us that there are many different types of families and the most important thing about a family is that all the people in it love each other. – Lesléa Newman

Carol Thompson has illustrated more than forty-five books for children, and is the recipient of the Mother Goose Award for Children’s Book Illustration. She lives in Ashby de la Zouch, England.

Mothering Magazine once described Carol Thompson’s illustrations on this groundbreaking book as:

…flowing lines and warm palette of Carol Thompson’s mixed media illustrations work in concert with Lesléa Newman’s rhythmic text.