The Trouble with Mom

by Babette Cole

Book Overview

"Cole's caper could tease laughs out of any grump, grownup or child".--Publishers Weekly. "The detailed watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations fill the page with humor and originality".--School Library Journal.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0698206819
• ISBN13: 9780698206816
• Release Date: September 1991
• Publisher: Coward McCann
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 7.9" x 7.9"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 3

Customer Reviews

A must for children that are poor readers

I bought this book hoping to entice my 8 year old to read more, as she is a very poor reader. IT WORKED. She sat and read it in moments and wanted more. It reminded me of the Weasley family in Harry Potter books, I love to read their antics and this is the same. Adams family meet the Weasleys. GOOD FUN. Will be buying the rest of them.

Quirky and fun. We love this book!

The Trouble with Mom is an illustrated children's book (first/second grade reading level) that takes a slightly skewed look at life from the point of view of a young child whose mother is refreshingly different from the rest of his classmates. The child doesn't find his mom's quirks at all refreshing though and is a little embarrassed by mom.The mom wears lots of bright lipstick, funky pointed hats rimmed with rats, and she wears the most adorable high heels even when she's doing something as ordinary as stirring her bubbling cauldron. Her gothic looking home is outfitted in spooky décor and she keeps a giant furry bird, a creature that looks like a huggable alligator and a fuzzy tarantula as pets. One day the child decides to invite his friends over for a visit. The "normal" parents, of course, are horrified at the suggestion and tell their kids they cannot go. The kids, being typical kids, ignore their parents, go anyway and have a fabulous time being "wild". When their parents discover where they've been they freak and call the "different" mom some hurtful names which make her sad. When the school is ravaged by a terrible fire and the "witch" mom saves the day the other parents realize that, hey, maybe they were wrong and she's okay after all! A lesson is learned by all. The young child and the PTA members accept the unique mom for who she is and learn to co-exist quite nicely after their rough start.This is a great story with some laugh out loud moments, comical illustrations and a thoughtful message. The words were all familiar or easy enough that my six year old beginning reader figured them out without becoming frustrated. He enjoyed reading the entire story to his little sister and read each word with enthusiasm. Being six, he particularly enjoyed the illustrations of the "Fear Factor-like" cupcakes his mom served to members of the PTA that were crawling with bugs and other various grossness (I got quite the laugh out of the horrified reactions of the parents too). This is a five star read in our house!

Perfect for Halloween, and the rest of the year, too!

The narrator of this book, a child who can't understand why her well-meaning mom (complete with witch outfit, flying broom, caldron, and spells) just doesn't fit in among the other parents of children at her school, is a pitch-perfect example of a kid complaining about a somewhat embarrassing parent. The accompanying illustrations, which are superb in their way, turn the text into howlingly funny comedy that will send children of all ages into peals of laughter. Given the witch motif, it's a perfect accessible Holloween present for any child, and given the parental miotif, it's a great gift for any child who has dealt with embarrassment over some little something thier parent has pulled--pretty much every child, I'd think. And the book's happy ending helps make it clear that even the oddest parent can have something to offer, given the chance!

A must read for all kids young and old

I never laugh so hard in my life, my class loved this book so much that I been reading it everyday since I brought it to read to my class. If your an adult you understand with the kids what they go through with their mother being differnt. The pictures within in the book makes it a page turn. If you want to buy a great author and a really funny book buy this one!