Kisses from Rosa: German; Parents' Choice Award Book for Illustration

by Petra Mathers

Book Overview

Illustrated in full color. When her mother becomes ill, young Rosa is sent off to stay at her Aunt Mookie's farm in the Black Forest of Germany.??Although she misses her mother terribly, Rosa is quickly caught up in all the activity of farm life--from picking blueberries with Mrs. Schmidt to visiting the cows with Cousin Birgit.??In between, she sends kiss-filled letters to Mami via Otto the mailman.??And one day soon, she knows they will be together...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679826866
• ISBN13: 9780679826866
• Release Date: July 1995
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Length: 1 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 8.8" x 11.3"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Come on, baby, and knock me a kiss

Certain books fill certain needs. There are picture books out there that discuss everything from racism and social problems to death and new babies. "Kisses From Rosa" fills a very specific need that I think a lot of kids will understand. In this story, author Petra Mathers confronts the pain children feel when they are far away from the people they love. Basing this tale on the separation anxiety she experienced with her tuberculosis-prone mother, Mathers offers a little comfort to those readers that cannot be near their loved ones. Rosa is not happy. Her mother is sick with a whistling noise in her lungs and must be sent to a special hospital high up in the mountains. Rosa has been sent during this time to live with her Aunt Mookie and cousin Clara. After getting used to the changes in her life, Rosa finds that she likes her new surrounding quite a lot. There's the dog Waldi who looks like a sausage on legs. There are the Schmidts, an older couple that offer friendship to the little girl. Then there are the cows, and the mailman, and the hornets, and more. All the while she is staying with Aunt Mookie, Rosa writes letters to her mother filled with all kinds of different kisses. The days pass and soon Rosa has received word that she can go home for Christmas to see her mama. By the end she's sad that she must leave all her new friends, but the promise of seeing her mother buoys her up. The book gives some attention to the pain of separation small children feel, but the majority of the text concentrates on the day to day routines of living on a farm. There are blueberries to pick and apples to press. As we read, the seasons change from summer to fall to winter. If you look at the endpapers you'll see oddly faint photographs of the people this story was based on. Altogether, the book is fine. It's comforting to those kids who know they'll be seeing their absent parents (guardians, etc.) soon. It's probably less comforting to those who won't get to see them in the near future. But while the story is nice, it isn't particularly remarkable. Fabulous illustrations might have helped but the pictures presented by Petra Mathers are a bit disappointing. Though imbued with sometimes wonderful colors and details, the illustrations are oddly flat and skewed. Their perception is completely off and inconsistent. For every fabulous shot of Rosa's mom standing on a roof amidst rose colored mountains there's a picture of Rosa standing with abnormally tiny feet near a giant of an aunt. In a way, it feels as if some of these illustrations were given a lot more time than others. As if time was short and precious and some of these pictures were rushed during the process. Which isn't to say the book doesn't fill a significant need. It just fails to garner much attention beyond its immediate message. Though a lovely story with lovely pictures, "Kisses From Rosa", will probably end as a book that is beloved of a faithful few and forgotten by the rest. A sweet book all