Mama,+Do+You+Love+Me?

Bibliographic data: Title: Mama, Do You Love Me? Author: Barbara M. Joosse Illustrator: Barbara Lavalle Reading Level: Age: 4-7 Publisher: Chronicle Books (July 1, 1998) Language: English ISBN-13: 978-0811821315

[|How to keep a man] Author Biography: Barbara M. Joosse is an American author as well as a mother, wife and grandmother. She was born in 1949, in Grafton, Wisconsin and has three children and two grandchildren. She lives in Wisconsin in an ecofriendly solarhouse with her husband chuck and her two dogs Nugget and Poppy, whom she lovingly refers to as “licksters”. She has a degree in journalism but now makes a living writing children’s picture and chapter books; though her grandchildren believe she could be a comedian or professional singer. Over the past thirty years Joosse has written thirty-eight children’s books. Her books are a hit worldwide and have been translated in twenty-eight languages.

Summary: “Mama, Do you Love Me?” is a fictional illustrated children’s story that takes place in the snowy arctic. A young daughter is testing her boundaries with her “mama”. By answering her daughters’ relentless questions, she validates her unrestricted love for her. After encountering many different aspects that are specific to the arctic culture “mama” expresses that no matter what she would love her “dear one” unconditionally and eternally.

Review: I chose this book because of its timeless message of a parents love as well as its cultural message. It was also a childhood favorite of mine. I loved that way that this book contains entertaining illustrations and storyline as well as being highly educational. Even as a child I was interested in reading about the terms at the end of the book and finding out what they mean. I feel that this elaboration of words was a very strong point of a book written about another culture that is possibly less known by the reader. Children will especially love this story because of the constant repetitions of the child throughout the story. Overall, young and old will become captivated by the story and illustrations of a mothers love for her daughter.

Analysis of Literary Element (Theme): The overlaying theme of “Mama, do You Love Me?” is culture. The story explores different aspects of “Eskimos” culture. Throughout the book the author uses different terms specific to the native arctic people, which refer to themselves as “Inuit’s” which mean “the people”. And the use of these new words for many children broadens there vocabulary. “What if I put salmon in your parka, ermine in your mittens, and lemmings in your mukluks?” Then at the end of the books she elaborated on these terms as they are listed in a glossary at the end of the book. “Ermine- This is the most widely used name for short-tailed weasel. In the winter, its fur turns white- except for a black tip on its tail. This is when it is called an ermine.” In addition to the new words being introduced to children the author, Barbara M. Joosse elaborates on other terms such as lamp, whale and dog in the back glossary of the book. “dog- Traditionally, the Inuit depended on dog sleds to travel. Now, many Inuit use snowmobiles as well.” She explains how the use of these items are different in the lives of the Inuit’s, compared to that of mainland Americans. It helps children compare and contrast their lives with that of Inuit children. The definitions and the pictures give children an idea of what these new words mean and how the Inuit’s of the arctic use them in there daily lives. The way that Joosse includes these words throughout her story is a simple way of introducing them into children’s vocabulary. First they are made aware of these words and then through multiple readings of the story they will better understand there meaning. I feel that this book is appealing to children as well as an adult reader. The vivid pictures capture the attention of the reader and accurately depict the “new” terms that are being learned. I think that both children and adults would learn new words as well as new ideas about a culture possibly much different than there own. If I were to use this book in the classroom I would read this book in conjunction with the creation of a picture wheel. This picture wheel would function as a was for the students to compare and contrast things learned about the lives of the Inuit people as seen in the book and that of their own.

Related Links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_M._Joosse [] [] http://www.chroniclebooks.com/landing-pages/pdfs/Mama_Papa.pdf