I Got It from My Mama

Sumpter and Apodaca highlight mothers as role models in this lesson-oriented work. First-person narration by a bespectacled child gushes about Mama: “I want to be just like her one day, so I always practice.” But when an accident in the kitchen causes Mama to lose her temper, a domino effect results in the protagonist soon echoing Mama’s frustrated words to a classmate. After the child describes the incident, Mama compensates with an appropriate apology that also gets passed along at school. Emphasizing the figural through softly colored backgrounds, exuberant digital cartoons convey the varied emotions animating the story. The child’s concluding observation will resonate beyond the page: “She’s not perfect, but she’s perfect for me!” Protagonists are portrayed with brown skin; background characters are shown with various skin tones. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)