MacKenzie Porter

A dark-skinned woman with black hair sings a song of love to her child when they are separated during the day, her child to daycare and she to work.

When her toddler asks what Mama does, she answers that, after their morning routine of breakfast and hugs, and after she drops her child off at daycare, she thinks about them all day long. "Though we're not together, we're never truly apart/because you're always on my mind and you're always in my heart."

Colorful pictures and swirling, black text shows the mother thinking about her child as she listens to their favorite music on her way to work, peeking at pictures when she's in a meeting, and eating a lunch that reminds her of her child at daycare.

At the end of the day, Mama picks up her child, takes them home for a bath and story, and sings a final lullaby. The moments when she sings are illuminated with rainbows, flowers, and sunshine.

Verdict: The text and rhymes are clunky and uneven and the story is too text-heavy for a toddler. However, this may be a comforting choice for parents who struggle leaving their child at daycare or for an older child who has separation anxiety it may serve a similar purpose as books like The Kissing Hand.

ISBN: 9781534454330; Published March 2020 by Little Simon; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library… (meer)

Filled with love and warmth, this is a great book for working mothers to share with their little ones and enjoy a loving hug in the process.

Young listeners who are feeling a little insecure as they are dropped off for care, while their mother goes to work, will benefit from this book. The tale follows the day of a mother as she wakes her child up, eats breakfast, takes it to care, and then heads off to work. In rhyme, she repeats again and again all the ways she thinks of the child and remembers it while she goes about her day until they meet again in the evening.

The illustrations are cute and do a great job at displaying daily activities young readers will recognize. Even while at her job, the mother's true occupation isn't clear as the tale only hits her driving to work, eating lunch and coming home. In that sense, it doesn't answer the child's question of 'What do you do all day?' really. Still, the point of the book is to offer tons of security in the knowledge that the child is always on the mother's mind and that keeps them together. And after reading this, tons of warm, snuggly feelings arise and do show how much a child is loved.… (meer)