Saturday, May 11, 2019

Review - The Night Before Mother's Day

The Night Before Mother's Day
by Natasha Wing
illustrated by Amy Wummer
Date: 2010
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

It's the night before Mother's Day, and Dad and the kids are determined to show Mom just how much they love her. They whip up a cake from scratch, and offer a special coupon for a day at the spa, right in their own kitchen! Kids and moms will love reading this sweet story aloud together for a fun way to celebrate Mother's Day.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I think I'm just not a fan of these books. Just like in The Night Before the Night Before Christmas, the rhymes are clunky and uninspiring. I expect rhyming picture books to have impeccable meter, since they're often going to be read aloud. This one vacillates between longer and shorter sentences, so you can't ever really get into a rhythm.

The story itself is okay, I guess, with two little girls and their dad honouring Mom with a cake and a homemade spa day. I enjoyed a similar premise much more in Jane O'Connor's Fancy Nancy: Ooh La La! It's Beauty Day, even though that revolved around Mom's birthday and not Mother's Day. Both books have the same sweet feel, but the Fancy Nancy title has more humour.

Overall, I'm not that impressed with this. It's a nice sentiment, but the clunky rhymes and mediocre pictures make this one kind of forgettable.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: 2/5
Writing: 2/5
Illustrations: 2/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.29 out of 5

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