Reviews for Mama's way
Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Although the lesson is writ pretty large here, it is one worth learning, and it?s in a lovely package. Wynona?s mom cleans houses and sews to support her three children, but there?s never any money left for extras. With sixth-grade graduation approaching, Wynona longs for a new dress, even though a friend has tactfully given her one she?s outgrown. A new dress turns into an obsession, and Wynona begs and pleads and carries on. When Mama presents her with the money for it at last, Wynona recognizes what it cost her mother in time and effort. An unexpected emergency presents Wynona with the opportunity to give back, however, and she finds that Mama has altered the hand-me-down to make it fresh and new and beautiful. The watercolor illustrations are sunlit-clear and full of warm colors; Wynona?s family, in their chinos and t-shirts, has a contemporary look and feel, and her blonde Mama has the soft, careworn face of a young woman who works hard. The story might also work well with readers older than traditional picture-book audiences. (Picture book. 6-10)
Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Wynona longs for a new white dress--not her friend's hand-me-down--for sixth-grade graduation, but Mama can't afford it. Nevertheless, Mama finds her own way to grant Wynona's wish. Whyte's intimate watercolor portraits flesh out the story, but the book seems oddly unemotional: the characters' expressions have little range, the dialogue is artificial, and the narrative tension is slack. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
Ages 6^-8. Lovingly composed watercolor illustrations complement a straightforward text in this celebration of old-fashioned values and the love between a mother and daughter. Wynona needs a white dress for her upcoming sixth-grade graduation, and she's seen the perfect one in a store window. Her single mom has no extra cash for a new dress, and because Wynona looks after her two brothers in the afternoons, she can't earn the money herself. Knowing how much Wynona wants the new dress, her mother manages to scrape together the money, but an unexpected turn requires Wynona to return it. Finally, in a sentimental yet satisfying ending, Wynona does receive a fine new dress--her mother's incredible transformation of a hand-me-down. --Shelley Townsend Hudson
Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Ketteman's (I Remember Papa) tale of a girl whose reluctant generosity is rewarded may be predictable, but it is still uplifting. Wynona's sixth-grade graduation is coming up, but money is tight. So when her friend Sarah offers her a hand-me-down, Wynona is gratefulÄuntil she sees Sarah's brand-new dress, which Sarah has brought to Wynona's mother, a seamstress, to hem. "I looked at the two dresses hanging together," says Wynona. "Somehow, the old one didn't seem so pretty anymore." Wynona turns sullen as she performs household chores and baby-sits her younger brothers, until her mother gives her money for the new dress Wynona has spied in a shop window. When one of her brother's breaks his wrist, Wynona sacrifices her dress money for the hospital bill. Ketteman credibly charts Wynona's growth, as she rises above self-centeredness into a sympathetic character. The author ably outlines both the friction and the underlying love between mother and daughter, while Whyte's expressive watercolor portraits add both softness and substance to the contemporary setting. Ages 5-up. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Gr 2-5-The struggles of a single mother who supports her three children by sewing and cleaning houses are poignantly portrayed in this picture book. Wynona loves pretty clothes and especially longs for a fancy white dress for her sixth-grade graduation, but the family's finances make purchasing such luxuries difficult. She fears she will have to settle for a hand-me-down dress from a friend rather than the gorgeous creation she has seen in a dress shop. When her mother surprises her a week before graduation with the money for a new dress, the girl is overcome by both elation and guilt. Her euphoria doesn't outlast the day, though, because her brother breaks his arm and, in a selfless act, she returns the money to help cover his medical expenses. Her mother, however, still manages to make graduation a special day in her own inimitable fashion-Mama's way. Gentle, realistic watercolor washes imbued with warm hues effectively convey the emotions of this loving family vignette. What might have been a saccharine story is instead a heartfelt depiction of single parenthood and a strong bond between a mother and daughter.-Rosalyn Pierini, San Luis Obispo City-County Library, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
