Reviews for Mommy in My Pocket


Horn Book Guide Reviews 2006 Fall
A bunny child anxious about going to school for the first time fantasizes miniaturizing her mother so that "Into my pocket, I'd tuck Mommy just right, / Not too loose, and not too tight." The premise has potential, but the rhymes are obvious and the ending is sappy. As always, Nakata's appealing art has the look of collaged watercolor shapes. Copyright 2006 Horn Book Guide Reviews.

----------------------
Kirkus Reviews 2006 March #2
Separation anxiety can be a factor for both mommy and child when anticipating the first day of school. This little bunny wishes her mom could shrink to just the right size, fit in her pocket, "near my beating heart," and safely be with her all day. With mommy secretly close by, little bunny could enjoy reading, lunch, art and even playtime. Nakata's mixed-media cartoon-style paintings, some single scenes, others four to a page, and some full-page spreads, add details to a somewhat uneven rhymed text. "At playtime, I would run about, / Watching my pocket so Mommy wouldn't fall out." Little bunny concludes feeling more comfortable by spiritually keeping mommy's hug and kiss with her. "Yet when school starts, I know I'll be okay, / Because the love in Mommy's hug and kiss . . . / will stay with me all day!" Additional fare when compared with the classic Will I Have a Friend, by Miriam Cohen (1967), or the popular The Kissing Hand, by Audrey Penn (1993). (Picture book. 3-5) Copyright Kirkus 2006 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.

----------------------
Publishers Weekly Reviews 2006 April #1

Newcomer Senderak addresses a common fear in this tale starring a girl bunny. The long-eared heroine fantasizes that if she could shrink her mommy down to pocket-size--with help from a wish made on a star--she would no longer be anxious about starting school. "All day long, we would never part,/ Mommy in my pocket, near my beating heart." Of course, certain responsibilities come with having a tiny Mommy in one's pocket. "At playtime, I would run about,/ Watching my pocket so Mommy wouldn't fall out," the girl promises, as Nakata (Winter Friends ) shows her vigorously jumping rope while holding one hand over her shirt pocket (Mommy's possible motion sickness seems not to have been considered). The verse may be at times overly earnest, but Nakata's pert watercolors depict the classroom as a fun-filled and chum-filled experience; the lunch scene has just enough food-fueled chaos to appeal to the imp in every beginning student. And Senderak and Nakata are to be applauded for not ending the book with a reality check. They understand that for a child facing a great unknown, being able to voice a wish can be as powerful an experience as having that wish fulfilled. Ages 2-6. (Apr.)

[Page 71]. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

----------------------
School Library Journal Reviews 2006 March

PreS-Gr 1 -A bunny is starting school but she doesn't want to leave her mother. She imagines that if she saw a shooting star and wished her mommy to be small, her mother would fit into her pocket and go to school with her. The child thinks about what fun it would be to take her to school and share her day, and how secure it would make her feel. In the end, the youngster takes comfort in the realization that Mommy's hug and kiss good-bye will be with her throughout the day. The rhyming text has a lovely cadence. The crisp, uncluttered watercolor illustrations reinforce the mood and action of the text, and the layout and design make the book appealing and accessible. A loving, reassuring tale for first-day jitters.-Linda Zeilstra Sawyer, Skokie Public Library, IL

[Page 121]. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

----------------------