Review by Booklist Review
Awakened by her mother, a young girl quickly dresses and eats breakfast before they run to catch the bus. They ride to the edge of a village and walk up a grassy hill to their favorite tree, a mulberry. Happy to find ripe berries, they pick the fruit until it's time for lunch. A brief rain shower interrupts their picnic and sends them back to the tree for shelter. Mum climbs high to reach the berries, and soon their two buckets are full. Back on the bus, they catch their last glimpse of the tree, looking golden in the sunset. Back home, the girl helps Mum make a delicious mulberry pie, eats a warm, tangy slice, and goes to bed full of contentment. Rhymed verses relate the day's events in a natural-sounding way, telling the simple story in first person, from the child's point of view. With rounded shapes, gentle colors, and suffused light, the beautifully shaded, mixed-media illustrations create a reassuring sense of warmth and belonging. A cozy picture book for storytime or bedtime sharing.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A youth affectionately recounts an annual mother-child outing to harvest a tree's bounty in this sweetly anticipatory picture book; "I fasten my buttons and tie my own laces./ Mum holds out a hand, strong and steady." Loosely rhyming verse by Rosie, making her picture book debut, traces every step of the trip--the "knee to knee" bus ride there, the walk with "buckets and tubs" across the field to the great tree, and the moment of arrival: "We're here! We're here!/ Mum and me." It's a mulberry tree, the branches heavy with purple fruit, which the two climb, picking, eating, and dripping juice on themselves. Mixed-media spreads and vignettes by Groenink (Only One) give subtle romance to the sunlight that dapples the old tree's magnificent branches, the great billowing clouds over softly rolling countryside landscapes, and the golden glint of sunset as the two, who present as white, travel home for a second adventure in the kitchen. Lyrical text, meanwhile, underlines parental affection and steadiness from the child's point of view: "Mum saves her most purple for me." Ages 3--7. (July)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A quiet celebration of a mother-child bond. On a special day, a child is nudged awake by their mother in a modest bedroom. The trust between the child and their parent is immediately clear as Mum's "strong and steady" hand tugs them toward the bus stop. The pair, who have light skin and dark hair, refreshingly use public transit to access an idyllic greenspace that is devoid of other people. Gentle greens, blues, and browns are punctuated by the warm red dots of mulberry "jewels" in the tree. Full-page illustrations are balanced with gently rounded rectangular panels and negative space. When the day turns rainy, Mum takes it in stride, and the pair use the tree for shelter. The lone tremble of drama occurs when Mum climbs up the tree and out of sight, which causes the child to call out. The lack of other characters strengthens the idea that Mum is the whole world to the child and that they are present in their experiences together. The book also offers a positive representation of a one-caregiver household and a narrative of abundance instead of scarcity. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Cozy and sweet but not too drippy. (Picture book. 4-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
