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

MomTime! Saturday by Oge Mora

Ava's mother works on Sunday through Friday. So their Saturdays are very special.

THE DAY WOULD BE SPECIAL.

THE DAY WOULD BE SPLENDID.

THE DAY WAS SATURDAY.

And this Saturday is a very full day. Ava and her mother have a lot planned--

--the local library for morning storytime!

--special hairdos together at the beauty shop!

--Saturday afternoon at the park! And in the evening--

--a real live puppet show at a big theater!

What a special, splendid Saturday they have planned. Except...

... There's a sign that says "STORYTIME IS CANCELED."
... Their fancy hairdos are ruined by a big puddle splash from a passing car.
... The park is crowded and noisy.
... And they have to run for the only bus to the theater, and then--Oh! Noooo!

AVA'S MOTHER GASPED. "I LEFT OUR TICKETS ON THE TABLE!"

Their Saturday has been anything but special or splendid. Ava's mother has had it!

"I RUINED SATURDAY."

Their best-laid plans have all gone wrong. What can Ava say or do to save the day?

"SATURDAYS ARE WONDERFUL...

BECAUSE I SPEND THEM WITH YOU!"

All's well that ends well, and Saturday ends with Mother and Ava back home, designing their own puppet show, in Caldecott author-illustrator Oge Mora's Saturday (Little, Brown and Company, 2019). Nothing goes wrong with Mora's evocative illustrations done in true mixed-media style, with paper collage, print scraps, bright acrylic paints, and markers, set in single and double-page spreads, as they deliver the premise that being together is what makes their Saturdays splendid. "A sweet ending ties a bow on the story," says Booklist.

Oge Mora's Caldecott Honor book is Thank You, Omu!

On the Town: A Night Out with Mama by Quvenzhane' Wallis

My new blue shoes make a soft tap, tap, tap as I walk down the hall.

The sun is just up now, and it's just me, excited for the day to begin.

Today is extra special so Daddy makes everything I love for breakfast.

There's a big night out with Mama coming up, an award show, and the two are stepping out tonight. The blue shoes are just the beginning. There is a beautiful blue dress to match the shoes, and a glamorous lady who comes to create a special hairdo to go with it.

Then a big long car comes to take them to the event. Mama tells her daughter that there will be a red carpet to walk in on and photographers' flashbulbs popping all around them. The girl practices waving from the big black car. She's thrilled with the glamour of it all.

That is, until she steps out of the limo onto that famous carpet.

I fall flat on my face!

But she scrambles up like a trooper, and poses for pictures with Mama with a big smile. Suddenly she's really getting into it all.

I'm having the time of my life!

It's a time to remember, with late-night ice cream sundaes to boot, in A Night Out with Mama (Simon and Schuster, 2017), in what is an actual, if fictionalized, account of author Quvenzhane' Wallis' evening at the Academy Awards as a nine-year-old nominee for her role in the movie "Beasts of the Southern Wild." Even though most kids' nights out with mama won't include the Oscar Awards, a dress-up girl's night out can be just as memorable an occasion, and Wallis offers a kid's-eye-view of a major moment in time between mother and daughter. Illustrator Vanessa Brantley-Newton catches the excitement of that special night with just the right touch of glamour and sparkle, along with the closeness of parent and child in a night that makes a lifetime memory. Says Booklist, "Kids will appreciate that, whether everyday or singular experiences, it's sharing them with loved ones that matters most."

Dressing Up Is Hard To Do: Zoe Gets Ready by Bethanie Deeney Murguia

ON SCHOOL DAYS, SOCCER DAYS, AND RAINY DAYS, SOMEONE ELSE ALWAYS CHOOSES WHAT ZOE WILL WEAR.

But it's Saturday and the possibilities are endless.

Zoe knows that the clothes make the day.

But what kind of day will it be? If it's a spinning-till-she's-as-light-as-a-feather day, the full purple circle skirt will be perfect. But if it's a cartwheel sort of a day, Zoe will need to wear her pink polka-dot leotard and tights. Hmmmmmm!

Mama calls impatiently from downstairs.

"ZOE! COME ON!"

"ALMOST READY, MAMA!" CALLS ZOE.

But Zoe's mind is already spinning and cartwheeling away. The skirt and the tights drop to the floor as she imagines other possibilities. If it's a collecting day, she'll need something with lots and lots of pockets. But if it's a hide-and-seek sort of day, her green outfit and a flowery headband will help her blend in with the outdoor scene. On the other hand... does she want to meld with the background or does she want to make a statement--in a ruffly, shrimp-colored skirt and a lo-o-ong trailing scarf....?

"ZOEEEEEE! NOW!"

Getting dressed is hard to do in Bethanie Murguia's brand-new Zoe Gets Ready (Scholastic, 2012). Parents who are veterans of the wardrobe wars will laugh ruefully and groan inwardly as the rejected outfits pile up on the floor, but little girls will understand Zoe's dilemma perfectly as her glance falls on those gauzy fairy wings still hanging on her closet door. What if it's a fly-in-the-sky day? A girl needs to be prepared for anything, and there's only one thing to do....

Can she wear it all?