March 15, 2021
Kim is tough, just like her mum. But today Mum's staying in bed, with the blanket wrapped tightly around her. Kim pulls her thumb out of her mouth (before Mum can see it there) and gets up to start the day. She prepares her lunch bag and checks her homework. Almost ready. But Mum forgot to sign Kim's field-trip form! "Don't start on me, Kim!" says Mum, who's still curled up in bed. What can Kim do? Grab some spare change for the field trip. Not enough to cover the $6, but "maybe Mrs. Jones won't notice." The school day brings its pleasures and pains--Mrs. Jones does call out the incomplete form--but Kim keeps her composure, like Mum seems to do. Returning home, Kim sees that Mum's "at the table wearing what she slept in last night." Maybe some tomato soup can help. "Eat. You'll feel better," insists Kim. It's a small gesture, but it finally cuts through the gloom that surrounds her mum. Button elevates these tender moments thanks to a keen sense of compassion for her characters, underlining that even the most seemingly mundane moments can have an impact. Buried within this showcase of a loving mother-daughter relationship is the potential catharsis of grappling with accepting help. Mok's compassionate gouache artwork--full of muted colors, gently curving lines, and arresting facial expressions--enfolds this tale in its earnest embrace. Mostly light-skinned characters fill out the cast, including Kim and her mum. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-16.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at 82% of actual size.) Powerful in its vulnerability. (Picture book. 4-10)
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April 12, 2021
According to “everyone in town,” Kim, a pale child with brown hair, is “tough” like her single mother, who works as a waitress and for whom it’s difficult to make ends meet. Groceries seem limited, and contextual clues imply that the family’s power has been turned off: “I don’t need the stove to make this soup taste good,” Kim says, and their home is lit solely by candle at night. For lunch, there’s “just ends. So the last two pieces of pepperoni and a mustard smile.” But the child attempts to sustain a positive attitude, channeling her mother throughout the day despite lacking funds for a field trip and experiencing bullying. Mok offers simple, carefully shaded gouache and colored-pencil art, underlining this sensitive portrayal of the bond between one mother and child navigating difficult circumstances and whether to welcome help. Ages 3–7.
June 1, 2021
K-Gr 4-Readers learn, through the perspective of a young girl, how she manages on days her mother cannot get out of bed. Her independence has come from necessity: She can make her own lunch with whatever is left, she can anticipate what dinner will be, she can look out the window to see how other children walking to school are dressed and if there is a "cloud coming out of their mouths," indicating cold. Throughout, she's anxious about a field trip that requires money and a signed permission form. Readers see how she swallows the hurt she feels when a boy makes fun of her lunch. Still, this young girl is resourceful, positive, and "tough like Mum." She prepares cold tomato soup for both of them and says, "Eat. You'll feel better." The mother does, signs the slip, and checks the box requesting financial aid. It's not clear if the mother is depressed, but it is obvious she has great burdens weighing her down, and yet it is also clear there is a deep, loving connection between mother and daughter and both are doing their best to cope. The appealing art, done with gouache and colored pencil, has a primitive feel. The perspective, slightly askew, may be the artist's message that things are not quite as they should be in this household. Heartwrenching and hopeful, the book is oblique enough that some children may not catch the subtleties; educators may want to unpack its many messages about resilience slowly. VERDICT Children who can identify with this little girl will, perhaps, find hope and strength in hearing a story similar to their own.-Maggie Chase, Boise State Univ., ID
Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
May 1, 2021
This Canadian import straightforwardly takes on a difficult subject: the effects of parental depression on a child. Kim wakes each morning not knowing which version of her mother she'll have for the day. "Sometimes she's up, making breakfast, packing lunch. Today she's still in bed beside me." Our narrator doesn't appear outwardly worried; "I'm tough like Mum" is her repeated refrain. Kim packs her own lunch with what little she can find in the pantry, saving food for her dinner. When she attempts to rouse her mother for a school field-trip signature, Mum's curt response sends Kim away. The muted colors used in Mok's digitally edited gouache and colored-pencil illustrations give a heaviness to Kim's days and are fitting to the subject at hand. Fortunately, a supportive teacher provides some comfort, helping Kim navigate the field-trip problem (including the form's "I can't pay" box, another clue to one of her family's hardships), and allowing the girl to feel less alone. Children with a parent living with depression will see themselves in Kim's steadfast love for, and frustration with, her mother. Eventually, the two are able to connect after school, and Kim and Mum spend their evening reading stories and laughing together. Readers should come away from the story realizing that staying "tough" is not the only answer. Hill Saxton
(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
January 1, 2021
This Canadian import straightforwardly takes on a difficult subject: the effects of parental depression on a child. Kim wakes each morning not knowing which version of her mother she'll have for the day. "Sometimes she's up, making breakfast, packing lunch. Today she's still in bed beside me." Our narrator doesn't appear outwardly worried; "I'm tough like Mum" is her repeated refrain. Kim packs her own lunch with what little she can find in the pantry, saving food for her dinner. When she attempts to rouse her mother for a school field-trip signature, Mum's curt response sends Kim away. The muted colors used in Mok's digitally edited gouache and colored-pencil illustrations give a heaviness to Kim's days and are fitting to the subject at hand. Fortunately, a supportive teacher provides some comfort, helping Kim navigate the field-trip problem (including the form's "I can't pay" box, another clue to one of her family's hardships), and allowing the girl to feel less alone. Children with a parent living with depression will see themselves in Kim's steadfast love for, and frustration with, her mother. Eventually, the two are able to connect after school, and Kim and Mum spend their evening reading stories and laughing together. Readers should come away from the story realizing that staying "tough" is not the only answer.
(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)