When Mama Goes to Work

by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch, Jessica Phillips (Illustrations)

When Mama goes to work, she wears her working clothes.
She combs her hair,
She packs a lunch,
She takes her special bag.
 
When Mama goes to work, I wear my playing clothes.
I comb my hair,
I pack a lunch,
I take my special bag.
 
When Mama Goes to Work follows several children and their working mothers as they move through their day. From morning to night, through the daily activities of work and play, children and parents keep each other in their thoughts even when they are apart.
 
Both children and parents will relate to the routine of work and play in When Mama Goes to Work. Secure in the knowledge that their mothers will return at the end of the day, confident children enjoy themselves and concentrate on learning and play while looking forward to being reunited with their mothers, when they will discuss their day, help with dinner, and other evening routines.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Storytime

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 15, 2014

About the author

Marsha Skrypuch is an internationally bestselling children’s author whose books span a century of wars from a kid’s view, concentrating on those stories that have been erased by oppressive regimes. Her best-known book is Making Bombs for Hitler. Her most recent is the Kidnapped from Ukraine trilogy. She has received death threats and honors for her writing. Marsha lives in Brantford, Ontario, Canada and you can visit her online at calla.com

Reviews

[Valerie Sherrard · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first glance, When Mama Goes to Work is a charmingly simple story that parallels a child's activities with those of a working mom. But a closer look reveals a book that also provides support and reassurance to children who experience separation anxiety. Bright and friendly illustrations enhance the text perfectly.

I highly recommend this book for every young child who spends time with a caregiver while parents are working.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great addition to the body of picture books more for its feminist message and normalization of diverse families, than its illustrations and narrative structure. The story follows various mothers and children throughout their day, from leaving home in the morning, to work and school, and back home for bedtime. The words and phrasing is meant to mirror, from mother to child, the routine of their day and the similarities they share in working hard and missing, but thinking of each other throughout their day. However, despite the clumsiness of the structure, the message is still great - reminiscent of Jacqueline Woodson's "Coming on Home Soon" but a lot brighter and simple; great for younger children.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Transitioning between mother and child, the days of working moms in a variety of jobs is presented. The positives and similarities in parent and child's day are highlighted and the book ends with all of the children dreaming about what jobs they will perform when they are grown up.

Very well done overall. I love the simplicity of the text and the overall positive look at working moms. Highly recommended for PreK-2.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple and sweet. Perfect for mothers day, or for anyone who needs to explain to a small child what happens when Mama is ready to rejoin the workforce. Personally, I wasn't a huge fan of the illustrations that accompanied it (very computer generated), but that's a personal preference thing.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the concept and the juxtaposition of mom and child at work/school. I also liked there were moms with all types of jobs (doctor, construction, etc). The illustrations, though, left a lot to be desired.

[Kalynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the idea behind this book, and I think the audience for this book...seems to be preschool-K, is a good fit. I also feel like it is a book that fills a need, because there should be more books where moms are working and that they have a variety of careers that cross gender boundaries.

[Tracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mama construction worker was a nice surprise.

[Jasmine Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! :)

[Stacey Socholotuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lighthearted portrayal of working mothers. It was refreshing to see a children's picture book reflecting the fact that women do a variety of jobs and try to balance work with family life.