Mama's Girl! Me & Mama by Cosbi Cabrero

"GOOD MORNING TO YOU," SINGS MAMA, BRIGHT AS SUN.

SOMETIMES SHE SINGS IT LIKE THE BIRTHDAY SONG.

Her papa and brother still sleep on, but where her mama is is where this girl wants to be. Her mother has already been working at her sewing machine, but now they head to the kitchen. The girl is hungry, and they have a bowls of cinnamon-flavored oatmeal and fill their cups.

Mama's fancy cup clinks when she stirs. The girl's plain cup just goes "DUH DUH."

But rain is beginning to spatter against the windows!

A PERFECT DAY FOR BOOTS AND PUDDLES! SAYS MAMA.

But first there's a shower like a warm rain, and then tooth brushing.  Mama nixes the choice of a silver dress and shoes. The girl puts on her plaid pants, better for rainy day walks.

Mama's boots are tall and red. The girl's boots are short and yellow. With an umbrella for each of them and a leash for Max the dog, they walk down a sidewalk where the cracks are filled with soft green moss like fluffy velvet.

WE SHOUT OUT LOUD TO SKY.

And the pavement is filling up with puddles ... to stomp!

SPLASH! SPLASH!

Back home the day winds down toward bedtime, and after stories for her and her brother, the girl drifts off to sleep, dreaming of another day where...

THERE'LL BE MAMA!

In a warm portrait of a mama's girl, Cosbi Cabrero's, Me & Mama (Simon and Schuster, 2020), is a idyllic portrait of a mother who has the power to make ordinary moments memorable in the eyes of her young daughter. Cabrero's illustrations of showery streets and cozy interiors are charming and lovely, with much attention to homey details that evoke the simple joys of family life with mama. A beautifully illustrated, slice-of-life ode of adoration for doting daughters and marvelous mamas." says Kirkus Reviews