Into My Mother's Arms

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian Studies at
Concordia University and an avid outdoor recreationist. She is the
author of several books, including The Mountain Is Moving: Japanese
Women’s Lives, Kurlek and Margaret Laurence: T

This whimsical, utterly charming picture book, which takes us through a
little girl’s day, is ostensibly told in the child’s voice, but a
lightly concealed double entendre makes it great fun for adults.

The unnamed child’s boundless energy and curiosity is partnered with
the mother’s endless patience, good humor, and fatigue. The child is
convinced that jumping on beds is “helping” to make them, that her
mother “forgets” to buy cookies until reminded, and that her
hard-working mother (shown sound asleep) loves to be wakened early when
the child climbs into her bed with her favorite toys. Their shared day
features grocery shopping and some time in the park en route home. When
the child’s courage nearly fails at the top of the big slide, her
mother’s smile as she waits at its foot draws her on.

Sharon Jennings has written many books for small children, including
The Bye Bye Pie (1999), which is also illustrated by the talented Ruth
Ohi. Into My Mother’s Arms is one of the most delightful books for
small children that I have seen for some years. It works well for small
children and for adults, whether the latter be parents, grandparents, or
simply lovers of sophisticated and ironic simplicity.