Author: Petra James
Illustrator: Alissa Dinallo
ISBN: 9781760784386
RRP: $14.99
Publication Date: 26 March 2019
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Copy: Courtesy of the Publisher
This guest review was submitted by Deb Mitchell, one of our Beauty and Lace Club members. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us Deb. I must say that I think this one would make a PERFECT Mother’s Day gift so the timing is spot on. I have been meaning to get it out and talk about it as a Mother’s Day option. Now I will definitely have to pull it out and look at it with my own children.
Many of my happiest moments as a Mum are when I am reading with my children. This is such a special time, an opportunity to be close together, to concentrate on an activity and to talk and play without any other care in the world. This book, I Love My Mum Because, brings all of these moments together in a beautiful activity book that my daughter has enjoyed completing and presenting to me.
At first glance, this book is a celebration, perhaps a memoir of how my children view me, what they like about me as their Mum, and what they wish for me. There are games, colouring in pages, drawing spaces and opportunities for reflection. However, on closer perusal, as a parent I can see so much more in these pages. This book is not only fun and entertaining, it provides subtle areas of education for the children. I asked my daughter to be very careful with her drawing as Mummy wants to keep this book for a long time, she needs to do her best drawings for me. Lucy had to think of how to finish the sentence My Mummy Is (for which she wrote ‘The Best Mummy Ever’ – bless her!) There is an opportunity for Lucy to write her wishes for Mummy, apparently we need to play more Monopoly and Mum to do less jobs. I also liked the rainbow of emotions as this is similar to the lessons learned at school, teaching children ways to describe how they are feeling. I also adore the tracing of hands on the last page, I can put my hand over Lucy’s and imagine I can hold on tight.
This is a beautiful book and one I will treasure forever. The author Petra James has asked the children open questions which require thoughtful answer, as well as educating the children with different languages, instructions to be followed and plenty of opportunities to practice handwriting and colouring in skills.
Alissa Dinallo has illustrated this book beautifully with many bright and colourful pictures. The mix of fonts on each page and the pencil drawings appealed to my young daughter, I think perhaps making the pictures more relatable to what she is able to draw at her age. I really liked the inside cover of colourful squiggles, and to receive this book from the publishing house wrapped in the same squiggly paper was delightful.
Thank you to Pan McMillan Australia and Beauty and Lace Book Club for the opportunity to read, play with and review this beautiful lovely book. I will treasure the memories of my daughter at this young age, her drawings, handwriting and efforts at spelling that are now a part of this lovely book.
I Love My Mum Because is published by Pan Macmillan and is available now where all good books are sold.
Thanks to Pan Macmillan 15 of our Beauty and Lace Club Members will be reading I Love My Mum Because with their little ones so please be aware the review may be written by a child.
Deb is a member of the Beauty and Lace Club.
I Love My Mum Because was a beautifully presented book, wrapped carefully in child drawn gift paper and tied off with a card. I was very excited to open it and see what was inside. The cover was lovely, bright and colourful, the first pages provided a great activity for my child to record a drawing of themselves and me, there was also a space for them toward the end of the book for them to trace their hand, things that could be kept forever and revisited later as the child grew up.
Unfortunately, the activities in the book became impersonal, it was more an activity book than a keepsake, though, many of the activities too difficult for younger children and none of them “keep forever” worthy.
Overall, the idea of the book as a keepsake is great, however, more activities on a personal level would have made this book a mothers gem to cherish forever.
I loved this little book – I Love My Mum Because by Petra James. It is beautifully illustrated by Alissa Dinallo. This book is such a great keepsake and would make a lovely present for a child to give to their Mummy or even to give for a baby present etc. Thanks Beauty & Lace and Pan MacMillan. I also thought it was very well priced at $14.99.
I love my Mum Because by Petra James. What a beautiful book. This is so much more then a book it is now a loving piece of art that my kids completed just for me.
My boys (5 &3) took great joy in completing all the pages, drawing, colouring, counting and so much more. It was the perfect mothers day gift.
Beautifully illustrated and a living breathing piece of my children’s heart.
Thank you Beauty & Lace and Pan MacMillan. for the opportunity to review this book and well done on an amazing piece.