Love to Mama: A Tribute to Mothers

By Pat Mora

Book Overview

Thirteen Latino poets celebrate their bonds with their mothers and grandmothers.

In this beautiful and celebratory collection, thirteen poets write with joy, humor, and love about the powerful bond between mothers, grandmothers, and children. The poets represent a wide spectrum of Latino voices, from award-winning authors such as Francisco X. Alarc n, Judith Ortiz Cofer, and Pat Mora, to Daniel A. Olivas, a Deputy Attorney General of the State of California, and Cristina Mu iz Mutchler, a 15-year-old new talent. They write passionately about their Puerto Rican, Cuban, Venezuelan, and Mexican American backgrounds and the undeniable influence of their mothers and grandmothers.

Illustrated with exuberance by Ecuadorian artist Paula S. Barrag n M., Love to Mam is sure to be embraced and treasured by everyone who wants to recognize mothers as one of our universal role models.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1584302356
• ISBN13: 9781584302353
• Release Date: April 2001
• Publisher: Lee & Low Books
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 9.3" x 10.0"
• Age Range: 6 to 9 years
• Grade Range: Grades 1 to 4

Customer Reviews

A warm celebration of mamas y abuelas

"Love to Mama: A Tribute to Mothers," edited by Pat Mora, is anthology of poems by Latino authors (Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Venezuelan). Each poem celebrates mothers and/or grandmothers. The poems are accompanied by the wonderful illustrations of Ecuador native Paula S. Barragan M.These poems celebrate relationships, food, bilingualism, and family history. Some of my favorite selections include Cristina Muniz Mutchler's "Mi abuela" ("Many grandmothers like to bake cookies and cakes / mi abuela likes to make tortillas y empenadas"), Rane Arroyo's "My Tongue is Like a Map" ("Sometimes I dream in English and Spanish"), and Mimi Chapra's "Mi mama cubana" ("When mi mama cubana cooks arroz con pollo, / her smile is wider than a slice of watermelon"). Many other authors are featured, including Judith Ortiz Cofer and Francisco X. Alarcon.This book is an excellent tribute to both Latino cultures and to mothers and grandmothers. Barragan's richly colored illustrations crackle with energy, and can also be very tender. Highly recommended to anyone with fond memories of a mother and/or grandmother, regardless of the reader's own cultural heritage.

Love and Care for Our Mamas . . .

This a wonderful poetry/picture book anthology by Pat Mora. The poems are full of music and picture, and the illustrations are vibrant and add to the reader's creativity and imagination. Clearly, the poet-anthologist selected the poems with great care. (I suppose the labor was something like finding the beads to make the necklace, the glowing pearl necklace.) Mora's selection demonstrates her keen insight when it comes to the diversity of U.S. Latinas/os. The poems speak to the strength of our mothers and grandmothers and their amazing wonderfulness. Daily, as these poems describe, our Mamas surprise us with their love.The poem "Abuelita Wears a Dress" by award-winning poet Rigoberto Gonzalez merits re-reading for its imagery, lyricism, and tickle. This was one of the most wonderful gifts I received upon graduation in May, 2001. I hug this book after I read it to the little ones. And adults, too. Thank you, Pat Mora.

No Better Way to Say "I Love You" to Mama and Abuelita

Okay, I admit it: I'm biased here. I was lucky enough to have one of my poems accepted for this beautiful anthology of poems by Latina/o writers honoring mothers and grandmothers. But, setting aside my small contribution (I receive no royalties...I've already been paid!), this beautifully produced collection not only includes work from some of our most treasured Latina/o writers (Virgil Suarez, Pat Mora, Judith Ortiz Cofer, Francisco X. Alarcon, to name a few of the thirteen contributors), but each poem is handsomely illustrated by Ecuadorian artist, Paula Barragan, who uses bright, inviting colors and images that draw both young and old into each poem. Because most of the authors use a little Spanish, the book includes an easy-to-read glossary with a pronunciation key. Despite being aimed at the younger reader, adults will enjoy this collection as they read it to their children because each poem will conjure up memories of the love, joy and comfort given by mothers and grandmothers. Though this book just came out, it has already received rave reviews including one from the venerable Kirkus Reviews. It is a perfect gift for Mother's Day!