A Ride on Mother's Back: A Day of Baby Carrying Around the World

by Emery Bernhard

Book Overview

Through a steamy rain forest in Brazil, along a river in Papua New Guinea, across a frozen inlet in the arctic, this book takes young children on a far-reaching journey to discover how babies worldwide are carried and what they see from their unique vantage points. "This is an exquisite book, for the detailed, folk-art style gouache illustrations, its overall design, and the wealth of information it includes."--Kirkus Reviews

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0152008705
• ISBN13: 9780152008703
• Release Date: September 1996
• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 11.3" x 9.3"
• Age Range: 4 to 7 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 2

Customer Reviews

Multiculturalism at its best!

I was a little surprised to read so many reviews which focused on the baby carrying aspect of this book. Yes, in every example the child is carried by a family member. Children are woven into the fabric of our lives and this books shows that very well. But what I find most fascinating about this lovely book -- and what my daughter loves too -- is the sheer diversity of regions and lifestyles covered. Each two page spread (one large illustration, one page of text) contains two paragraphs of detailed kid-friendly information. In just a few sentences you learn where the people live, what their climate and culture is like, and how they support their families. Although it is extremely informative, the tone is very warm and not at all dry -- your chid will not feel as though he is being subjected to a geography lesson! Many pages talk about the gathering of food and I find it fascinating to see the number of differences among us. Yet each family is tied together by the shared love of their children. It is a wonderful and reassuring message: we are different yet we are the same. Another thing I especially like about this book is that it takes place in one day -- the pages go from dawn to dark -- and you can see how the day unfolds all around the world. The inside front and back covers of the book show a map of the world and the location of each family. The last few pages of the book also give additional information about each culture. The author and illustrator did an excellent job of demonstrating true diversity. Although we are used to seeing "multiculturalism" in the form of token comments about other regions of the world (often the same regions each time!), this book does an outstanding job. No one culture gets more exposure than another and the information is presented in a respectful way. Lastly, the peoples shown in this book are: the Maya, the Balinese, the Mbuti, the Tuareg, the Inuit, the Mandingo, the Hmong, the Yanomama, the Nepali, the Papuans, and the Quechua. I highly recommend this book for all young children. It could also be used very effectively in teaching, as was pointed out in an earlier review.

A Great Book for the Classroom

I wish I'd had this book when I was teaching! A Ride On Mother's Back provides myriad opportunities for discussion and further reading. I was especially pleased to see a sister and even a grandfather 'wearing' their respective babies in this delightful world tour. The book presents a wide variety of cultures while providing a comforting commonality -- people everywhere loving their babies, and babies everywhere being included in community life. The book even provides a short appendix in which you'll find brief information about each culture presented (what a great way to encourage further research)and a pronunciation guide for the names of the cultures. One tiny criticism: the author doesn't provide pronunciation hints for the names of the individuals in the book. I'd like to be able to pronounce the names as accurately as possible. This book inspired my 3 1/2 yr. old daughter to look at the children's atlas that she'd been ignoring since last Christmas, and has sparked her interest in geography. Our well-loved copy is dog-eared and worn -- what better recommendation could a book have?

Wonderful!!

My two year old daughter and I really enjoy this book! The illustrations are very colorful and vibrant. I love the fact that she is learning about different cultures in a fun context. We really enjoy reading this book togther and discussing the pictures and what the babies and mommies and daddies and grandparents are doing. This is a truly wonderful book that depicts babies as a sweet part of daily life - not seperate from it. This book also validates our way of life for our daughter [breastfeeding and carrying her in a sling]. Its a really nice book all the way around. I look foward to reading it for years to come.

Wonderful, cultural, family book

I enjoy this book as much as my daughter does. It's refreshing to see the many ways parents around the world carry their children with them and involve them in the adults' daily activities. I also like that my daughter sees a book reflecting other cultures and grows up with more of a global sense rather than being US-centric.

World wide, Children and families benefit from babywearing.

Beautiful visual and written images of babies and children from many cultures being carried in wraps and slings, on backs and in arms, as families work and play together. Babywearing and breastfeeding are depicted in harmony with the family's daily life. Babies and children are shown learning from their close proximity to Mother and other family members. I get the same feeling of inner peace from this book that I receive in wearing my own babies and it is a joy to share this book with my children and others.