My Mother's Loves: Stories and Lies from My Childhood

E. Jane Philipps is a science librarian in the Biology Library at
Queen’s University.

“When I was little, I lived in the country in between two cabbage
patches in a house that was almost as small as me.” So begins the
magical experience that is award-winning author/illustrator Poulin’s
most recent creation. My Mother’s Loves combines the real and
whimsical in a work whose charm and artistry will appeal to child and
adult alike.

Words and pictures are integrally related: separating the two is not
possible. The text consists of childhood memories—“stories” and
“lies”—and the reader may decide which are which. It is not a
narrative, but rather a series of reminiscences: a large family, a small
house, furniture “stacked in the yard—until we needed it,” a
flood, a wandering elephant, hot chocolate, and fragrant cabbage soup.
The illustrations bring the words to life. Each is a work of art
brimming with life, love, and an irrepressible sense of fun. The
paintings portray, as words cannot, the author’s understanding of and
affection for this family. They also speak volumes about their
creator’s imagination and powers of observation. With their warm,
strong colors, rich texture, and marvelous detail, the pictures
fascinate. The characters’ expressions and postures capture the
essence of a multitude of childhood’s pains and pleasures. The
pictures invite the reader to enter into their world and to linger
there.

Annick Press has done its part to create a treasure that will be dipped
into again and again, and that will always delight. The beautifully
produced volume is printed on acid-free paper.

Like Poulin’s other works, My Mother’s Loves has also been issued
in French, under the title Les amours de ma mиre.

Book lovers of all ages will find many pleasures here.