Review: Are You My Mother?

One of the greatest gifts my mother even gave me was the chance to read. No matter what else we went with or without, we always had books in our house – and some of the fondest memories of my childhood are the glorious variety she chose for her children to read.

Of course, being a 60s baby, I spent my early reading years deep in a pile of books from the late 60s and early 70s, where the tomes were thick with literary joy – least of all from Dr Seuss, Richard Scarry and PD Eastman.

Are you My Mother is one of my earliest reading memories – and I can still feel the horror of that little bird as it was lifted on high in that monstrous machine. I remembered feeling the desperation for that wee thing – the ultimate fear for any child, for any baby bird – being lost. Abandonment.

When my mother died suddenly in 1990, one of the things I did to cope with my overwhelming grief, was to buy my own updated copy of Are You My Mother? Of course, I wept over its pages for many years, but when my own children came along, I saw its pages in a new light – of love and hope and deep literary enjoyment.

From it's monochromatic pages, glorious illustrations and divine, lilting text - this is a must-have for anyone who has ever known a mother.

This review is dedicated to you, Mum.

Title: Are You My Mother?
Author/Illustrator: PD Eastman
Publisher: Random House, $12.95 RRP
Publication Date: 1 October 1997
Format: Hard back
ISBN: 9780394800189
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture Book, Rhyme