Do You Love Me?, Mama

The picture did not match the product. I bought what was described as a hardcover book and according to the picture it's the same hardcover with paper pages that I own already. What came however was a board book version. I did not see in the description that it is a baked boos but it was fine for my need. The outside of the book was rather worn and scuffed, moreso than I would expect from a book in "very good" condition. But the inside was very nice, rather dirty and after I wiped the pages off it was fine. If it had been just for my library it would have been no issue. But it was for a gift which left me somewhat disappointed.

What a sweet message, I purchased this book right before the birth of my second son. I wanted my first born to know just how special he was no matter the circumstances. This book had a great message, no matter what he does (acting out), mama will always love him.

I'm all about teaching children about unconditional love but this book is so strange....Really a negative book, not sure why a child would want to scare/hurt/be mean to her mom....was an awkward read with kids (ages 3.5 and 4.5). I'm very surprised it got so many good reviews. Returning it....

ISBN 0811821315 - Having read mostly positive reviews of this book, with most of the dissenters not making much sense, I was really looking forward to finding out if it could live up to the hype. The cover is appealing, in the same uniquely ethnic way The Rhythm of My Day (Kindermusik) appeals. This edition is a board book and is probably shortened from the original.

A child asks her mother "do you love me?" and, being assured that Mama does, indeed, love her very much, she proceeds to question that love further and further. The daughter wonders if Mama would love her if she did small things - broke eggs by accident or played pranks. Her mother says she would be sorry, or angry, or sad, etc. but that she would still love her daughter.

Some reviews have mentioned that the mother's unconditional love is an indication that the mother finds her daughter's suggested behavior acceptable. "What if I turned into a polar bear, and I was the meanest bear you ever saw and I had sharp, shiny teeth and I chased you into your tent and you cried?" the daughter asks and the mother replies "Then I would be very surprised and very scared. But still, inside the bear, you would be you, and I would love you." Mama's replies always include the OTHER feelings as well, from sorry to very surprised and very scared, but she repeatedly insists that she will love her daughter: that's what unconditional love is. A child can do bad things and make a parent angry, but the parent will still love them and Barbara Joosse conveys that message well here. The illustrations by Barbara Lavallee are fantastic. This book opens the door, if you want to step through it, for conversations about other cultures. The only potential negative will be parents stumbling over "ptarmigan", a word no other children's book is likely to introduce them to.

- AnnaLovesBooks

There are a few things that are universal. These things are so primal that they are a paradigm across cultures.... actually across species. The unconditional bond of love that exists between mother and child is one of those paradigms. The essence of this book is - All mothers love their children unconditionally and all children go through insecurity when it comes to love and acceptance.

Portrayed in this book is an Inuit mother and her daughter. The Inuit are the indigenous people of Alaska, Canada and the Arctic, basically the northwestern belt of the North American continent.

The child asks her mother a simple question, `Mamma, do you love me?' and the mother replies in the affirmative. The child is still not satisfied with a simple `Yes dear'. Also the mother-child love is neither quantifiable nor objective. So the child proceeds to ask her mother how much and for how long she loves her. The child is still not satisfied with her mother's answers. So she gives her mother scenarios. The child asks her mother if she would love her inspite of the intentional and accidental mischief on the child's part. The book ends with the mother swinging the child and saying, `I will love you forever and always, because you are my Dear One.'

When you are a primary care provider for a young child, there is a melting pot of emotions involved. There is love, happiness, pride, anger, frustration, doubt, sadness, guilt, a sense of responsibility ... enough material to write volumes of books. The thinking that children must be happy ALL THE TIME mires parents many a times. This leads to guilt when the child is unhappy. What parents must realize is that children learn by pushing limits, by testing and that they need to experience all emotions within a safe and loving environment.

Like in this book, when the child breaks ptarmigan eggs by accident, the mother tells the child that she is sorry that the eggs broke, but she understands that this was an accident and reassures the child that she still loves her. The child asks the mother what the mother would do if she extinguished the lamp by purposefully throwing water on the lamp. Imagine the cold, snowy, unforgiving Arctic where people are at the mercy of nature's elements. Fire is simply not a luxury, it sometimes defines the existence of human life. In this situation if the child pours water on purpose, it is perfectly okay to tell the child though you love her dearly, this behavior is unacceptable and that you are VERY angry. It would make the child sad and insecure, but one simply cannot indulge the child just to keep the child happy. By telling the child that you are angry, you are giving the child a life lesson.

Every book has one element that appeals to its readers. What appealed to me is, `one does not have to act happy to make their child feel loved. You can be truthful to your child and still make him/her feel loved.'

Both the author and the illustrator have worked hard to capture the essence of the Inuit culture. Living in the snow means that sometimes you are cut off from civilization for long periods of time and that you must learn how to sustain yourself. You can see that the mother is making dolls and weaving baskets. What you need, you learn to make from scratch with what little scrap that is available!

I could go on an on, but I will be giving out everything and strip you all of the pleasure of making your own discoveries. So check out this book and tell us what you think about it.

Joosse, B. (1991). Mama, Do You Love Me? Lavallee, B. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.

Genre: Children's Picture Storybook, Multicultural

Through questioning, a young girl seeks reassurance that her Mama will love her no matter what she does. Mama provides this reassurance and shares the emotions she would feel if her daughter demonstrated the acts in her questions. For example, if the little girl turns into a large animal, Mama would be frightened but would still love her daughter forever.

The illustrations exhibit great examples of body language and tone. On one scene, Mama is angry and her body appears boxed and looms over the small girl but when Mama is expressing her love, she is shaped more roundly and embracing her daughter. The cultural tie-ins are charming and reminds readers that love is universal. Great book!

A wonderful book to introduce your child to another culture and show them just how strong the love a parent has for their child truly is. This story is told from the perspective of an Alaskan Inuit mother and her daughter. For the most advanced reader or inquisitive child there is a glossary in the back of the book that describes many of the native animals and objects found throughout the book. My only criticism is that the book does not include a phonetic pronunciation for a few of the harder to pronounce words, for example, umiak and mukluk. Overall it's a good story with colorful illustrations. ~The Librarian Uncle

A truly lovely story about unconditional love. This is a story that every child can relate to as this question comes up - will that child be loved regardless of misbhavior? This beautiful book is a testament that parents will love their child(ren) regardless.

What makes this book distinct is that it is presented from an Inuit perspective. The young girl in the story asks questions pertinent to her culture and the rich illustrations add to the story. Readers smile at her asking about dropping ptarmigan eggs, about mukluks and indigenous creatures. Readers learn about Inuit culture and see that that life experiences may be different, but people have much more in common than they do differences. The fact that this story is told from an Inuit perspective is incidental to the message that resounds throughout the book - a parent's love is unconditional. A must have for families and educators.

This story focuses on one simple question that every child thinks at one point or another. The question is whether their parents will always love them no matter what the child does. This story confirms for children young and old, that no matter what they do, their parents (mama) will still love them.
The story is delightfully told from the perspective of the Intuit culture. The mischief the child creates deals with things that are unique to that culture such as accidentally dropping ptarmigan eggs, spilling the oil in the family's lamp, slipping an emrine in mama's mukluks or turning into a Walrus. My son and I enjoy talking about how different cultures live and what they believe and this book has started some fun conversations.
I believe the story does not prompt children into asking the "wrong" question as mentioned in other reviews. The story promotes the idea of a parent's love and acceptance no matter what their little hellion does and does it with a wonderful story and captivating artwork. This has become one of our favorite books.

Love is the only thing that really matters! There's no mistaking the powerful allure of unconditional love in this young children's book, which has just been republished in a 10th anniversary commemorative edition.
Mama, Do You Love Me? depicts an Inuit mother who loves her daughter, no matter what. Throughout the story the daughter repeatedly asks, "Mama, do you love me?" She comes up with many intriguing and playful reasons why the mother might be persuaded to withhold love. For example, what if the daughter broke the ptarmigan eggs? What if she put lemmings in her mother's mukluks? The mother does not hide or lie about her feelings. Sometimes she says she would be surprised, or angry, or scared, but these variable emotions do not change her love for her daughter. Her daughter is her Dear One, always and forever.
This story is best suited for a young child, but it may also be interesting to anyone who's very keen on Alaska or Inuit life.
This book received a score of 7.50 on a scale of (1) low to 10 (high) from The Spiritual Reviewer.

This book is a favorite! My daughter (now five) loves to hear it over and over again. Since all the words are spoken dialog, I read the mother's lines and she says the daughter's lines. When she was younger, she merely recited the words from memory. Now that she is starting to read, I point to the words as she says them and she looks at the words, too. She is starting to recognize words from the book when she sees them elsewhere.
I also use the story to reinforce my own unconditional love for her. When she is doing something purposefully naughty, I'll say, "Katie, are you putting lemmings in my mukluks?" This usually generates a big grin as she realizes she is being just as silly as the little girl in the story - and that I love her just as much as the mommy in the story!

"Mama, Do You Love Me?" was the most requested bedtime book for my daughter after she saw it being read on an episode of "Barny" (the purple dinosaur). Now that we have a granddaughter, we have rediscovered this excellent book and are thrilled to be able to share the positive message that a parent's love is unconditional.

The art work is nicely done and not too overwhelming for small children and some of the unusual words will help build a child's vocabulary ("Mukluk", it's fun to say out loud).

Highly Recommended!

CFH

My husband purchased this book for our 18-month-old son, and it has become one of his favorite books. I like that it shows a parent's unconditional love no matter what. It teaches that someone can be angry at and still love another person at the same time. It has also taught my son a lot about emotions, something he has had a difficult time understanding up until now. It also shows cause and effect (i.e. If you do that, I will be angry).

Finally, it has been fun to learn a little about another culture. I have had fun looking up the things in the book I didn't understand. I also like that, even though it is about the Inuit culture, that doesn't overpower the main lessons of the book.

My parents have recently returned from a holiday in Alaska where they bought this book for my one year old daughter. What a beautiful way to introduce a culture so different from our own. So many different animals, items of clothing and everyday activities to learn about while expressing a universal truth that applies to families worldwide. I'm sure this book will provide many years of enjoyment as it is revisited on different levels throughout my daughter's childhood. My favourite line is about the lemmings in mukluks. We don't find many of those in Australia!

I read this book to my teenage children when they was younger. It is such a lovely testament to a mother's love - how much she loves her child even if her child misbehaves. And with a brief intro to the Inuit culture (as this is a toddler book), I cannot understand why anyone would give less than 5 stars. Beautiful book with wonderful drawings!!!

This lovely picture book is the classic "Do you love me?" story, but with an Eskimo flavor. "Would you love me if I put lemmings in your mukluks? If I turned into a walrus?" The back of the book has a glossary to explain the Eskimo words. Although this is available as a board book, that version is missing the glossary. Preschool to age 5.

This little book is so beautiful, I found it locally, but had to have it for grandaughter. The story is timeless with the aim at a different culture, splendid. The artwork is delightful and deep. I loved it, now am going to order the companion - we did also buy the little doll to go with the book and it's cute.

Let me echo the sentiment that children learn what we teach them; no matter how foreign it may be to us, they can grasp any idea we throw their way. Cultural issues aside, I find this the most touching young children's book I have encountered for its completely unaffected demonstration of motherly affection. And truly, the illustrations enrich the beauty of the text. For the first time in my life I purchased a book for the sole purpose of dismantling it because I wanted a framed image over my daughters' bed daily pronouncing, "I will love you forever and for always because you are my dear one." Always the best gift for new mothers!

I love this book! The illustrations are amazing. My children are always engrossed in this book whenever it is read. They enjoy looking at the "sub" pictures within the picture. ie: looking for the stuffed animal, the animals and the Inuit symbol on the page. I cannot read this book without a tear in my eye and an extra long hug for my children. I have since bought this book for many other people because I love this message.

I found this at the Children's Museum in Richmond. I loved the message but wasn't sure how my son would respond to a story about a girl and her mother. Well, it is one of his favorites. He often asks me questions, quoting the book. "Momma, do you love me?" "How much?" "How long?" I think it's a very reassuring message, and a story that also explains that while parents might not like the behavior but always love the child.

I am a psychotherapist who works primarily with adults, but I put this book on my waiting room table. It presents unconditional love in wonderful, understandable terms, and is a model for how parents should treat their children as well as for how people should treat themselves.

Jane Mattes, C.S.W.

I love this book! The illustrations are amazing. My children are always engrossed in this book whenever it is read. They enjoy looking at the "sub" pictures within the picture. ie: looking for the stuffed animal, the animals and the Inuit symbol on the page. I cannot read this book without a tear in my eye and an extra long hug for my children. I have since bought this book for many other people because I love this message.

I found this at the Children's Museum in Richmond. I loved the message but wasn't sure how my son would respond to a story about a girl and her mother. Well, it is one of his favorites. He often asks me questions, quoting the book. "Momma, do you love me?" "How much?" "How long?" I think it's a very reassuring message, and a story that also explains that while parents might not like the behavior but always love the child.

I am a psychotherapist who works primarily with adults, but I put this book on my waiting room table. It presents unconditional love in wonderful, understandable terms, and is a model for how parents should treat their children as well as for how people should treat themselves.

Jane Mattes, C.S.W.

This book is about letting your children konw that no matter what you will always love them. This book gives examples of a child's worst behavior & because he/she has been bad that mama will no longer love the child. She shares that she will be angry, mad, or even sad, but she will never stop loving the child. This is a great book for parents going through disipline struggles or feeling guilty when you do need to discipline that the child feels unloved.

Reading and re-reading this book with my daughter is one of the most wonderful memories I have of her toddler years. The beautiful artwork coupled with the simple, though satisfying, writing was almost bewitching to us. Years later, my daughter still quotes the book, and it makes me want to cry. This book is a great gift for any mother having a baby.

Mama, Do You Love Me? presents a beautiful representation of Alaska and its peoples in a comforting and familiar context, the relationship of child to her mother. Beautiful illustrations and entertaining information will enchant adults as well as children. I'm surprised it hasn't recieved any awards!

I purchased this book for my unborn child, and well, to say the least I was extremely disappointed and WILL NOT be reading it to him/her... first of all there are many terms and such that a little one just won't understand... second of all I do not agree with the concepts in this story... it is a little bit mean in some of it's ideas... yes it is good in it's aspect of introducing another culture, but at the young age this book is intended for... will the baby really understand all that... I hope that other customers won't make the same mistake I did in purchasing this book when there are much better ones out there...

It describes very well God's unconditional love throgh mom and daughter. Every child needs this kind of love from parents. Children attempts many ways to prove parents' love like this girl. When they feel this secure love from parents, they can easily belive in God.