Title: A Gift for Mama
Author: Linda Ravin Lodding
Illustrator: Alison Jay
Age Group:2-6
Synopsis:A young boy sets off to find the perfect birthday present for his mother only to discover an ever evolving chain of events spurred by kindness and thoughtful intentions.
The Lowdown:
Alison Jay has this absolutely remarkable way of creating illustrations that have an otherworldly quality about them. It’s like watching a movie on cracked pottery. It doesn’t seem possible but is so enchanting that it doesn’t seem to matter. Her style is so distinctive that as soon as I saw A Gift for Mama I knew that it was her work without even reading the cover. I grabbed it immediately and was so excited to find that the story matched the illustrations. It’s so disappointing sometimes to find a book with spectacular pictures when the story doesn’t seem to match the quality. Luckily, that was not an issue with A Gift for Mama.
The main character, a young boy named Oskar, walks into Vienna one morning with the intention of finding a birthday present for his mother. He has only one coin and after perusing the shops in the town square finds a beautiful yellow rose that will be perfect. On his way home he is stopped by a painter who thinks the rose will be perfect for a portrait he is painting later that day. The boy agrees to exchange the rose for a paint brush, sure that he can paint his mother a beautiful picture. He’s then stopped by a conductor who’s lost his baton. In exchange for the paintbrush the conductor gives him a sheet of beautiful music. This is later exchanged for a book and the book for a box of rare sweets. Finally as the sun begins to set the boy heads home to see a young girl sitting by the bank of the river crying. She has no birthday present for her mother. The boy gives her the sweets and sets off for home with no present for his mother but is then stopped by the young girl who gives him the beautiful yellow rose she was wearing as a thank you. So he ends the story by giving his mother the gift he originally intended for her and she loves it.
Lodding cleverly incorporates famous Viennese residents into the story through each of the characters the young boy meets. This includes Gustav Klint, Johann Strauss II, Felix Staton, and Empress Sisi. I must admit that I am unfamiliar with most of these people and their work but I have to salute a children’s book that slips in cultural references so subtly. Bug wasn’t particularly impressed with the references himself but he did love looking up more information about them online afterwards. I don’t have a problem admitting when I don’t know something and Bug’s definitely picking up on that. Last week he wanted to know if hedgehogs had pokies on their bottoms and when I said I wasn’t sure he said, “Let’s ask Google.” I want to encourage that kind of exploration, to build an atmosphere of acceptance that acknowledges that we can’t know everything (although I’m constantly trying to convince my husband otherwise). And if we don’t know we can always look it up and learn.
Alison Jay participates in this amazing symphony by providing a canvas full of expressive and vibrant pictures, complete with incredible details and fabulous characters. I’ve already gushed about how much I adore her style but it’s hard to convey just how stunning the overall effect can be. By adding cracks throughout the pages it gives the impression that we’re looking at something that could be in a museum. It adds a certain weight and credibility that Jay then plays with by having characters and settings that don’t conform to normal standards. More rotund lower bodies and skinny necks and hands play with proportions and add levity to the illustrations.
It’s a great combination overall with the fun surprise treat at the end for little readers. Jay doesn’t disappoint and Lodding surprises and delights while adding in fabulous bits of history and culture. And it’s a perfect choice for anyone considering it as a Mother’s Day present this May.
Story Tips:
- See if your little one can guess how Oskar can use each new item as a birthday present for his mother.
I need more!
Linda Lodding has a few books that cam out in 2017 the most well known I’d say is Little Red Riding Sheep. I haven’t read any other books of hers though so if you want more information check out her website: https://www.lindalodding.com/books
For more about Alison Jay see my review for the Cloud Spinner
