My Mother Is So Smart!

by Tomie dePaola

Mothers are so amazing--is there anything they can't do? Through the heartfelt words of a little boy awed by all the things his mom can do, this glowing celebration of mothers has a universal appeal that will make young readers everywhere want to share it with their own moms. Featuring Tomie dePaola's classic soft illustrations and in a wonderful smaller trim size, this is a perfect gift for Mother's Day--or any day!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Family, School, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Storytime

24 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Tomie dePaola (pronounced Tommy da-POW-la) was best known for his books for children.

He had a five-decade writing and illustrating career during which he published more than 270 books, including 26 Fairmount Avenue, Strega Nona, and Meet the Barkers.

Tomie dePaola and his work have been recognized with the Caldecott Honor Award, the Newbery Honor Award, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, and the New Hampshire Governor's Arts Award of Living Treasure.

Reviews

[Archit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally read this. Although it was quite a small read, I had postponed this one for later.

:)

But reading it filled me with gratitude. Good job by the author in bringing out how every child's first superhero is a Mom.

[midnightfaerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this one! *grin* Besides going on and on about how wonderful this kid's mom is, this book also shows that mom's have many abilities, not just telling you what to do! It gives a new appreciation to your children on the job you do, and if they aren't telling you how wonderful you are by the time you're done reading the book, you're reading it wrong. Great book!

[Dianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

What? You think I picked this out at the library? Well, you might be right. I figured my kids could use some propaganda.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mother is smart too.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

The brilliant Tomie dePaola sends a Mothers Day present to his ma. Also to me, and to my ma, and my friends and all the moms I know. The mother in this book gazes with wise calm eyes at her boy, demonstrates the art of Popsicle making to the reader with the gravitas of a CNN anchor, drives a truck, and conducts the neighborhood children in "Row, row, row your boat". Tomie's usual strong pastels keep the mood light and his thick, rounded shapes reinforce the sense of stability imparted by the tidy mom, with her hands always giving, fixing, teaching.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently finished a few of Tomie dePaola's chapter books on his life during World War II. It was obvious that he really loved and admired his mother, so I decided to read this book as well. Very sweet and charming.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It's so nice to see a book where children are loving and appreciating their mom! Usually love in books goes top down - from parent to child - not bottom up - from child to parent.

[Leni Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet book honoring the mom of the household. 3 year old granddaughter adores it.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A celebration of gentle motherhood.

[Patience · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's okay.

[E & E’s Mama · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boy shares why he knows his mom is so smart. Delightful. I just love Tomie dePaola!

[Joel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moms rule

[Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

Checked out from WD Library; 3.5 stars

[Kenneth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Make a great mothers day gift. Lovely wording, illustrations are good.

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Told with all of the tenderhearted love that Tomie dePaola has for his mother, this book truly shines in every way. I love the way that Tomie dePaola grants us access to the richness of his life in the pages of this story, inviting readers to share in the simple, beautiful moments that comprise his legendary childhood. All through the book, the loving things that Tomie's mother does for her son will resonate with young readers everywhere.

At its heart, My Mother Is So Smart! is a love ballad to Tomie's mother specifically, and is universally applicable to so many of our mothers. I'm so glad to see Tomie dePaola continuing to create high-quality picture books after all these years, still drawing from his family history to emotionally connect with and inspire today's readers. I should also mention how much I like the color scheme of this book. Tomie dePaola has really put it all together here, artistically speaking, and made some strikingly beautiful color patterns that catch the eye and really help to further the deep feel of the story. I might actually say that My Mother Is So Smart! is the best of all his releases, in terms of color scheme. This book is charming and sweetly told, and I fondly recommend it.

[McCall Donnelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Mother Is So Smart is about a young boy who is describing all of the amazing things that his mother can do. He mentions the way she makes cookies, how she can drive an old delivery truck, her ability to look like a movie star when her and his dad go out, and even how she can stand on her head. This young boy is proud of everything his mom can do and believes that she knows everything because she is so smart.

This story is told from the perspective of a little boy. The words are very simple. The illustrations play along with the text very well. Everything the young boy says his mom can do will be followed by an illustration of his mother doing the act and doing it well. Being that the story is told by the boy it makes sense that the illustrations look like they may have been drawn by a child. This to me was another form of play between the text and illustrations.

Children may find this book fun because they may read something and think "hey..my mom can do that too" or "no way! My mom makes the best cookies". This book might be fun for a child to relate to or to challenge some of the things in the book. Children might realize how smart their moms are after reading this book.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If only we parents could be as smart as this little boy believes his mother is. She is perfect, she knows when she needs to take care of his needs. How to teach his friends to draw their initial in the air with sparklers on the 4th of July. She even how to dress up like a movie star when she is going out for the evening.

This young boy has a very special mom and he seems to appreciate everything that she does for him.

Obviously, this is a children’s book – but I do wish that Tomie Depaola would write a teen version. Wouldn’t it be refreshing to have our teens believe that we really do know a thing or two?

That is a lovely book that mother and child will enjoy reading together. I just advise that you get started on it early so you have a running start on teaching them how awe-inspiring we moms can be.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Mother is so Smart is a picture book, written by Tommy dePaola. The target audience is nursery level (N). The book captures all the amazing things a Mom does and portrays her as a hero to her little boy.

The book captures the admiration and love the boy has for his Mom. The pages and illustrations are colorful and the language is appropriate for very young children. The story would appeal to a child that is from a "traditional" family where there is a Mom and a Dad. A child that does not live with both parents or doesn't have a Mom would not connect to this story. For that reason, I would not use this book in a classroom setting. However, this is a wonderful story that can be shared between a mother and her child. I have read this book to my children, and the nd result was always a shared big hug and a kiss!

September 9, 2013

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only because it is Tomie could he get away with such a simple tribute to his mother. I'm moving it up a star because of the jacket flap which makes it a great example of personal narrative. The jacket flap would allow teachers to talk to students about whether this is an example of memoir. When I teach memoir I feel it has to have a "reflective piece" so I'm not sure I'd move this from personal narrative to memoir.

The repeated line of the title might make it a good mentor text for beginning writers.

[Eva-Marie Nevarez · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 - I agree with a friend of mine who also reviewed the book when she mentions the ending. It sucked. The beginning and middle of the book is really cute, identifiable by any child I would hope, and really shows the pride a child can have in his or her Mother.
And then the end came. I'm not sure if the authors Mother used to stand around on her head a lot or if the author just drew a blank and couldn't come up with an ending. Either way, this ending sucked.

[Allison Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sweet book celebrates one mother, who is so smart she can make popsicles, dance the polka, and knows just where her son will be. Tomie dePoala can do no wrong in my mind: his illustrations are beautiful and touching. My only complaint is that other mothers might not live up to the incredible lady in this book - my mom certainly can't stand on her head! - though truly this is a celebration of all the wondrous talents that mothers have.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute book. The little boy knows that his mother is so smart. She knows everything and can even stand on her head. This book made me think about how I think of my mother. I always thought she was the smartest and the best. She knew everything and was the smartest! All kids love their moms and we all know that our mom is so smart and the best. It's true mothers are a special bred and they are very smart.

[Yareli Barraza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose to read this book because I knew I was going to connect with it just by reading the title. I feel like just about any young kid feels very proud and admires their mother. The book gives you many examples of why he thinks his mom is smart and maybe children reading it can find at least one thing they feel the same about. One activity that can go along with this book is have the children make a book about the things that makes their mother (or anyone they want) smart or unique.

[Sherry Rampey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mothers are good for lots of things. They can sometimes make something out of nothing, and sometimes nothing out of something. dePaola's colors are soft and pale, yet there is added splashes of color throughout the story. I am disappointed that the story ends kind of abruptly, but kids will think of their own moms when being read this story.

[DelGal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed this cute story until the very end as it was a special tribute to the author's smart mother. But my overall like of this book was ruined at the end because the last few sentences ended the story so abruptly (and a little too silly/stupidly) it made the book end for me on a bad note. I was expecting it to end on a sweeter note, but sadly it did not.

[Madonna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how this little boy thinks so highly of his mother. He thinks of all her actions as amazing acts which make his mother very smart. I think this would be a great read for a kindergarten class. Students may relate their mothers to some of the motherly actions in the book. I would read this during a family unit.

[Jesika La Bryer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard so much about Tomie DePaola books on last weeks voicethread, I just had to read one. This book is so cute, especially from a mother's perspective. Tomie pays tribute to his mother through the simple lines and simple pictures in this book. He even uses some true stories about his mother.
Copyright 2010

[Sherry Thornberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This boy thinks his mother is so smart, but the truth is that most of the smart stuff she does is just loving and taking care of her child. I love the way he thinks she is smart though because most children think their mommy has all the answers, knows everything, and can do no wrong. Thats a good feeling as a mom but also a huge responsibility.

[Alison Durbin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like Tomie dePaola and the stories he comes up with. I love that he has a common theme of family. I found this book precious in the way the young boy talks about how smart his mother is. This isn't the best dePaola book in my opinion, but it is still something that would be worth purchasing for my classroom.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A heartfelt tribute to his Mom, this is a fun book that gives just a small glimpse at all the great things that Moms do. Our girls really enjoyed this book and wanted to know if I could stand on my head, too. (Of course I can!)