‘Me & Mama” celebrates mother and daughter bond

Me & Mama

Written and illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2020

Told from the perspective of a young black girl, “Me & Mama” celebrates the bond between mothers and daughters. The story goes through one rainy day spent together.

What makes the story special is Cozbi A. Cabrera’s lyrical prose and beautiful acrylic illustrations. The book won both a Caldecott honor and a Coretta Scott King honor.

“Good morning to you, sings Mama, bright as the sun,” the story begins. The little girl tiptoes to where her mama is and she smells cinnamon. Papa and Luca are still sleeping but “I want to be everywhere Mama is.”

The narrator looks outside, and sees “the wind is painting the outside window with beads of water.” 

She’s eager to splash through puddles, but her mother tells her, “Bathroom first.”

She compares her mother’s China cup to her plastic cup. She knows she has to be careful not to break Mama’s cup, but on the next page it is broken.

Mama doesn’t shout at her. She says, “Sometimes things break.”

Then the little girl compares her smaller toothbrush to her Mama’s bigger one.

She showers and describes it as “warm rain that gets you going.”

Mama reminds her to comb her hair, but she says she is hungry. Mama has a pot of oatmeal on the stove.

She compares her little bowl to Mama’s bigger bowl of oatmeal, and comments that Mama likes berries while she likes bananas.

Again, Mama reminds her to comb her hair. She chooses the blue barrette, and hands Mama the purply pink barrette because it matches her dress.

They get ready to go outside. The little girl compares her small yellow boots to Mama’s big red ones. She comments that their dog Max doesn’t wear boots.

Her Mama and she walk the dog outside in the rain. She notices moss in the sidewalk cracks, knot holes in trees, nests left behind in the winter, and stores likes boxes full of people.

She and her mother sing to the sky and splash in puddles.

As the day ends, the clouds are pink and the sun is sleepy. Mama puts her and her brother Lucas to bed.

Mama reads to them, and the little girl tries to read, too. They laugh together.

“You’re my best girl,” Mama whispers and gives her a kiss. She yells, “I love you, Mama!”

Mama turns out the light and the little girl closes her eyes to imagine pictures of things she saw that day.

This beautiful picture book would make a nice bedtime story. The acrylic illustrations fill the pages with detailed double spreads and full-page illustrations.

 My only criticism is that the day ends so quickly. The little girl never has lunch. She doesn’t do anything in the afternoon, have dinner, or spend any time in the evening. It seems to suddenly be bedtime after her morning walk with Mama.

About the Author and Illustrator

Cozbi A. Cabrera has illustrated several acclaimed books for children, including “Stitchin’ and Pullin’: A Gee’s Bend Quilt,” and “Exquisite,” a picture book biography about Gwendolyn Brooks. She also wrote and illustrated “my Hair is a Garden.” She is a graduate of the Parsons School of Design. She has worked as an art director, clothing designer, quilter, and maker of munecas, cloth dolls that are collected all over the world. She is a native of Brooklyn and resides in Evanston, Ill., with her family. Her daughter wants to be everywhere she is.