Mama, I'll Give You the World

by Roni Schotter

Book Overview

For one magical night, Luisa wants to make her single mother's worries disappear. Every day after school Luisa goes to Walter's World of Beauty to watch her mama work-- cutting, coloring, and curling... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375836128
• ISBN13: 9780375836121
• Release Date: August 2006
• Publisher: Schwartz & Wade Books
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 9.5" x 11.2"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

A gentle story will appeal to many a child with a single parent.

There are some 13 million single mothers raising kids in America today - so most timely is MAMA, I'LL GIVE YOU THE WORLD which tells of a daughter who watches her mother work at the beauty salon. Mama's birthday is coming - and Luisa decides to do something special to change her world. A gentle story will appeal to many a child with a single parent.

The nicest little girl in the 'world'

When's the last time you did something nice for your Mama? Huh? How about for her birthday? What, you ask, flowers aren't enough? I write, I call ... Well, little Luisa has you beat hands down. Her Mama works at Walter's World of Beauty transforming the neighborhood divas into raging beauties, or, uh, at least gussied-up versions of their middle-aged selves. But Mama wears a tired expression, now that Papa's out of the picture. We never learn why, but then it's probably none of our business anyway. Walter's World is Luisa's world, where she does her homework, creates playful pictures of the customers and deviously plots to put a smile back on Mama's face. No spoilers here - the plot's about as predictable as can be, but Schotter has such lovely phrasing and vivid descriptions, you don't mind traveling down this oft-visited street where a happy ending lives. Gallagher used oil paints, which makes the compositions seem older, yellower and faintly cracked, emphasizing Mama's fading youth and diminishing bloom. Exaggerated features, particularly noses, give everyone a comic air, but their softly padded frames and round, shining faces could only belong to a generous, kindly bunch. Only Mama is slender, but she looks more shopworn than chic. Between Gallagher's loving details and Schotter's artful descriptions, I knew the World so well, I found myself firmly in joyful Luisa's orbit.