But how will they communicate if Mia speaks little Spanish and Abuela, little English? Could it be that a parrot named Mango is the solution? New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.Ībuela is coming to stay with Mia and her parents. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary) their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics.

I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously.

Readers may see something new with each look.Ī deeply nostalgic look at once-upon-a-time Midwest farm life.Īll the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.Įach spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. They are richly colored and detailed these are spreads to linger over. The story is insular, told as it is from this one child’s point of view, yet sprawling in its visual depictions of the “sky so big” (the book’s wide, horizontal orientation does its best to capture this) and the point “where the prairie met the mountains.” Archer’s vivid, textured mixed-media illustrations include tissue papers and homemade stamps. Characters all appear to be white, and it is strictly from this perspective that the story is told it comes complete with cowboys who say, “Hello, little lady,” and nearby towns with names like Rattlesnake and Spotted Horse. The narrator remembers trips to small towns, the local filling station, the granary by the railroad, and the nearby shops.

In a nostalgic, retrospective voice, the protagonist recalls the wildlife and flowers near the farmhouse the vast landscapes swimming in the farm pond and the sights, smells, and sounds of happy summers spent primarily outdoors.

The unnamed narrator is depicted as a pale child with fair hair living in a small prairie town in, perhaps, the 1940s. Newbery Medalist MacLachlan tells the story of a pastoral childhood on a prairie farm.

Prairie Days by Patricia MacLachlan