My Marvellous Mum sets out to list all the ways Mum is special, and it does so alphabetically, working through the letters of the adjective in the book's title: marvellous.
Animal characters depict mother and child pairs in various situations.
Mum can be adventurous, like the zebras on swings flying high. She shares and teaches values like the pandas. And she can laugh like the crocodiles, and smooth out muddles like the koalas.
Each of the illustrations has a different set of animals, right up to the end when all of them appear together in a crowd, holding aloft the letters that spell out the word marvelous.
Jonathan Bentley's illustrations are always appealing, and My Marvellous Mum is no different. The animals are colourful, cartoon-ish and friendly. They're a clear visual focus as you read, and bring a light and loving feeling to the parent and child relationship, along with touches of humour.
A beautiful, and marvellous, book for sharing and for gifting.
Title: My Marvellous Mum
Author/Illustrator: Jonathan Bentley
Publisher: Scholastic Australia, $18.99
Publication Date: March 2023
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781761203237
For ages: 3 - 5
Type: Picture Book