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Ma Dear's Aprons
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Young David Earl always knows what day of the week it is because his mother, Ma Dear, has a different apron for every day except Sunday -- when they can set aside some special no-work time, just for themselves.
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Hardcover, 32 pages
Published
April 1st 1997
by Atheneum Books for Young Readers
(first published 1997)
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Community Reviews
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Nov 05, 2018
Abigail
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liked it
Recommends it for:
Readers Looking for Picture-Book Family Stories
David Earl always knows what day of the week it is, based on his mother, Ma Dear's aprons. Each day has its appointed task - laundry on Monday, ironing on Tuesday, deliveries on Wednesday, visiting shut-ins on Thursday, cleaning houses on Friday, and baking on Saturday - and each day has its different color apron. But whatever color she is wearing, and whatever she is doing, hardworking Ma Dear is never too tired to tell her son stories, or give him a special treat. On Sunday, the day of no work
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This book celebrates the hard work of a single black mother and the little things in life that cheer both her and her son up. Though routine and at times monotonous, Ma Dear and her son's life is a content one, filled with hard work and an appreciation for what they have. Using Ma Dear's aprons as a means to celebrate their family and their hard work is such a nice way of showing how work and pleasure can intertwine, though they don't often do. It's great for kids grades 1-3!
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Nov 04, 2008
Robyn Simmons
rated it
liked it
Recommends it for:
Primary readers
Shelves:
historical-fiction
This story tells about the life of a young boy named David Earl and his mother Ma Dear. David Earl and Ma Dear don't have much. They live in a shack and travel by hitching wagons. The two develop a strong relationship throughout this text. He helps his mother to do chores in and outside of the house. This book is a great read for primary classrooms, because it enforces the days of the week and introduces the concept of schedules.
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This is a beautiful book that addresses the struggles of an African American single mother and her son in what appears to be the 19th century. It would be great to use for working on character perspective and also in a history unit that focuses on the African American/Caucasian divisions of the time period.
Genre: Diverse
Awards: Coretta Scott King Award
Audience: Grades K-2
A. The North American culture in the south during the 1900s. There were times of segregation. African Americans were looked at as a lower race of humans. It isn't as highly emphasized in this story, but there are light hints of it.
B. There weren't really any cultural events discussed per say in this book. The story was about the life of his great-grandmother. It hinted at societal norms though for that time period. Since the stor ...more
Awards: Coretta Scott King Award
Audience: Grades K-2
A. The North American culture in the south during the 1900s. There were times of segregation. African Americans were looked at as a lower race of humans. It isn't as highly emphasized in this story, but there are light hints of it.
B. There weren't really any cultural events discussed per say in this book. The story was about the life of his great-grandmother. It hinted at societal norms though for that time period. Since the stor ...more
Being a single mom is tough.
It's pretty. It's also very wordy, though the words are good. It kind of makes me think of Clare Turlay Newberry's books. It's inspired by the author's great-grandmother: a single mother whose husband had died, living in the early 1900s. The woman in the story has one son, and every day of the week except Sunday she wears a different apron. On Monday, she washes and tells her son the story of his father, a soldier who died fighting out west. On Tuesday, she irons. On ...more
It's pretty. It's also very wordy, though the words are good. It kind of makes me think of Clare Turlay Newberry's books. It's inspired by the author's great-grandmother: a single mother whose husband had died, living in the early 1900s. The woman in the story has one son, and every day of the week except Sunday she wears a different apron. On Monday, she washes and tells her son the story of his father, a soldier who died fighting out west. On Tuesday, she irons. On ...more
"Ma Dear's Aprons" by Patricia McKissack is a thoughtful, engaging story about the relationship between a young boy and his single, working mother. The story takes us back to the time when there were horse-drawn wagons, washboards instead of washing machines, and the act of doing laundry was a time consuming process. Students reading this book will be amazed at how life was for a family in the first half of the 20th century. Since the story is told from the little boy's point of view, students c
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Ma Dear is an African American widow with a young son. The only work she can find at the time of this story is cleaning, washing and ironing for the white people on the other side of town.
The story is about the days of the week and how she has a different apron suited for each day's tasks, different design and color. Her son David Earl tells the days of the week by the apron his mother wears.
The story is well written and reflects a time unfamiliar now. The illustrations have a hazy quality suite ...more
The story is about the days of the week and how she has a different apron suited for each day's tasks, different design and color. Her son David Earl tells the days of the week by the apron his mother wears.
The story is well written and reflects a time unfamiliar now. The illustrations have a hazy quality suite ...more
A sweet story about a hard working mother and her son.
Ages: 4 - 8
Cleanliness: "Oh my goodness."
**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it!
Visit my website!
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Ages: 4 - 8
Cleanliness: "Oh my goodness."
**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it!
Visit my website!
...more
The young boy in the story learns the days of the week by which color of apron his mom is wearing. This was a unique story about a family and what their culture does every day of the week. This can show people of all ages that other families may be different from theirs.
Ma Dear’s Apron is about an African American family, a single mother and her son. This nonfiction story was dedicated to Patricia C. Missouri’s’ great-grandmother, Leanna Crossley Bowens. The main characters in the story were Ma Dear (short for mother dear) and her son David Earl (the authors dad). David always knows what day of the week it is by looking at Ma Dears’ apron. She wears a different apron to complete the different duties on different days. For instance Monday she wears a blue apron
...more
Ma Dear’s Apron is about an African American family, a single mother and her son. This nonfiction story was dedicated to Patricia C. Missouri’s’ great-grandmother, Leanna Crossley Bowens. The main characters in the story were Ma Dear (short for mother dear) and her son David Earl (the authors dad). David always knows what day of the week it is by looking at Ma Dears’ apron. She wears a different apron to complete the different duties on different days. For instance Monday she wears a blue apron
...more
Laura Mueller
April 1, 2015
EDL53500 Library Materials for Children and Youth
Title: Ma Dear's Apron
Author: Patricia C. McKissack
Plot: Ma Dear has a different apron for every day of the week, except Sunday because there's no work on Sunday. Monday it's wash day and she wears her apron with the pockets to hold all the clothespins. Tuesday is ironing day and Wednesday is laundry delivery day. Thursday is when David Earl and his mother visit and take food to the sick. On Fridays, they go into the weal ...more
April 1, 2015
EDL53500 Library Materials for Children and Youth
Title: Ma Dear's Apron
Author: Patricia C. McKissack
Plot: Ma Dear has a different apron for every day of the week, except Sunday because there's no work on Sunday. Monday it's wash day and she wears her apron with the pockets to hold all the clothespins. Tuesday is ironing day and Wednesday is laundry delivery day. Thursday is when David Earl and his mother visit and take food to the sick. On Fridays, they go into the weal ...more
Ma Dear's Aprons
written by Patricia C. McKissack and illustrated by Floyd Cooper.
Patricia McKissack's is tribute to her great-grandmother and the countless other domestic workers of her generation. David Earl observes his mother over a week in early 1900's rural Alabama, her apron change by day, their work each day, and the love between them. The illustrations help the reader respectfully observe their weekly activities, complementing and strengthening the text.
Age Range: 4 - 8 years
Grade L ...more
Patricia McKissack's is tribute to her great-grandmother and the countless other domestic workers of her generation. David Earl observes his mother over a week in early 1900's rural Alabama, her apron change by day, their work each day, and the love between them. The illustrations help the reader respectfully observe their weekly activities, complementing and strengthening the text.
Age Range: 4 - 8 years
Grade L ...more
This is a fantastic book for the whole family. The message that I was left with was that our lives' goal should be about family, love and caring. Here's a very poor family that has so much. Consider sharing this book with your family after your Thanksgiving dinner. Perhaps it will become a family tradition.
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Ma Dear's Apron was a book about Ma Dear and all of her aprons that she wore on different days of the week. This was great book. Ma Dear had different color aprons for everyday of the week. This would be a great book for K-3rd grade.
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Going Places - unit 7
Leveled Books - Advanced
Leveled Books - Advanced
This book is wonderfully written and accurately uses the popular southern term of endearment "Ma Dear" (short for mother dear).
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Patricia C. McKissack was the Newbery Honor, Coretta Scott King Award-winning author of The Dark-Thirty and Porch Lies an ALA Notable Book. She collaborated with Jerry Pinkney on Goin' Someplace Special (Coretta Scott King Award winner) and Mirandy and Brother Wind (Coretta Scott King Award winner and Caldecott Honor Book).
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