What are some great books for a 1.5-year-old that use the term "Mama"?
August 19, 2018 7:49 AM Subscribe
Every parent has their own preferred term of address. We have a lot of "daddy" board books, but comparatively few "mama" selections. I'd like to change that. What does the hivemind recommend?
In our collection, "I Love You, Too!" by Eve Bunting is the gold standard -- sweet, simple, gentle, and it uses "mama" throughout. I found an earlier post that mentioned "Mama's Day" by Linda Ashman, but mama only gets to spend all day with the kiddo during the summer, so that's definitely a no-go.
Thanks in advance for your great ideas!
In our collection, "I Love You, Too!" by Eve Bunting is the gold standard -- sweet, simple, gentle, and it uses "mama" throughout. I found an earlier post that mentioned "Mama's Day" by Linda Ashman, but mama only gets to spend all day with the kiddo during the summer, so that's definitely a no-go.
Thanks in advance for your great ideas!
Isn't Mama Bear the female parent in the Berenstain Bears?
posted by Ms Vegetable at 9:01 AM on August 19, 2018
posted by Ms Vegetable at 9:01 AM on August 19, 2018
Best answer: Syvia Long rewrote the lyrics to "Hush Little Baby" in this beautifully illustrated board book. The setting is a mother and child getting ready for bed.
Hush Little Baby by Sylvia Long
We also had:
Is your Mama a Llama? A different book than the Llama Llama books. A baby llama asks other animals if their mama is a llama, in rhyming fomat.
Mama, Do you Love Me? An Inuit-themed book where a child asks their mama if they love them as much as many things, and the answer is always more, of course. Gorgeous artwork in this one too.
posted by haunted_pomegranate at 9:41 AM on August 19, 2018 [5 favorites]
Hush Little Baby by Sylvia Long
We also had:
Is your Mama a Llama? A different book than the Llama Llama books. A baby llama asks other animals if their mama is a llama, in rhyming fomat.
Mama, Do you Love Me? An Inuit-themed book where a child asks their mama if they love them as much as many things, and the answer is always more, of course. Gorgeous artwork in this one too.
posted by haunted_pomegranate at 9:41 AM on August 19, 2018 [5 favorites]
Mama Mama by Jean Marzollo has a nice rhythm and a sweet message.
posted by Knowyournuts at 9:47 AM on August 19, 2018
posted by Knowyournuts at 9:47 AM on August 19, 2018
We enjoyed Little Quack.
And seconding the recommendation for "Mama, Do You Love Me?" My youngest is 8 and we still read it together.
posted by belladonna at 9:59 AM on August 19, 2018
And seconding the recommendation for "Mama, Do You Love Me?" My youngest is 8 and we still read it together.
posted by belladonna at 9:59 AM on August 19, 2018
More More More Said the Baby has a daddy, a grandma and a mama.
posted by Redstart at 10:06 AM on August 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Redstart at 10:06 AM on August 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
This goes around what you’re asking for, but for our kids we’ve just been substituting orally when reading, if characters have the “wrong” gender, or are needlessly gendered in the first place, or the books are in the wrong language (multilingual family). 1.5 year olds don’t read and are unlikely to call you out on substitutions.
posted by meijusa at 11:27 AM on August 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by meijusa at 11:27 AM on August 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
Sendak's In the Night Kitchen uses the term in passing, literally: ...past the moon and his mama & papa sleeping tight... ("Mama! Papa!")
Also nthing Mama, Do You Love Me?--one of our favorites.
posted by miles per flower at 11:40 AM on August 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
Also nthing Mama, Do You Love Me?--one of our favorites.
posted by miles per flower at 11:40 AM on August 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
When Mama Comes Home Tonight is well loved in our house.
posted by MrsBell at 12:15 PM on August 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by MrsBell at 12:15 PM on August 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
Like meijusa our kids haven’t picked up on the fact that we’ve crossed out certain words in their books and written in alternates (usually dated, cringe-worthy language in old classics like Tootles). Could you do the same with Mom/Mommy/Mama?
Seconding Is Your Mama A Llama. I’ve read that book aloud about a billion times and I still love it. The rhymes are are so fun.
posted by not_the_water at 1:27 PM on August 19, 2018
Seconding Is Your Mama A Llama. I’ve read that book aloud about a billion times and I still love it. The rhymes are are so fun.
posted by not_the_water at 1:27 PM on August 19, 2018
We have "Spot Loves His Mama" from the See Spot Run series for our 20-month-old.
posted by kevinbelt at 4:41 PM on August 19, 2018
posted by kevinbelt at 4:41 PM on August 19, 2018
I Love You Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt is a household favourite that has “mamma” in every other page.
posted by furtive at 4:53 PM on August 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by furtive at 4:53 PM on August 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
Mama Don't Allow by Thatcher Hurd is a big hit around here.
posted by range at 8:30 PM on August 19, 2018
posted by range at 8:30 PM on August 19, 2018
Seconding (thirding?) meijusa -- we have a 22-mo-old and use the non-English words for mom/dad, which means there are zero books that match our verbiage. But I just swap in "Umma" and "Appa" instead of whatever's written and she gets it.
We also do this for gendered stuff. (I got some raised eyebrows the first few times I read Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site while swapping half the male pronouns to female, but goshdarnit, there's no reason Excavator Truck can't be a girl!)
posted by alleycat01 at 12:02 PM on August 20, 2018
We also do this for gendered stuff. (I got some raised eyebrows the first few times I read Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site while swapping half the male pronouns to female, but goshdarnit, there's no reason Excavator Truck can't be a girl!)
posted by alleycat01 at 12:02 PM on August 20, 2018
"Mama Calls Me Monkeypants" by JD Lester and Hiroe Nakata.
posted by mike_honcho at 11:12 AM on August 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by mike_honcho at 11:12 AM on August 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
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posted by Cozybee at 7:57 AM on August 19, 2018 [9 favorites]