Jane Cowen-Fletcher

The illustrations of this book amazed me very much. The less obviousness of the disability made me happy that although the mother needed a wheelchair it was not seen as her identity and the first mentioned character trait. Readers are allowed to view her as only a mom first just as she should be seen, a mom playing with her son like any other mother. I love the close-up pictures that allow me to see the happy emotions and positive attitude of all the characters. I love that her wheelchair show more becomes fun and a pretend to play place for her child, that they use their imagination for her to be a racehorse, boat, race car, airplane, etc. The illustration of outfit changes and that she can have fun too made me so happy. Kids seeing the use of the ramp and getting cued into accommodations and becoming knowledgeable about ramps was an important factor in this book. The mom is then seen as strong and I think this was a great addition that on top of physical but mental strength is above and beyond for people in wheelchairs. Many people view them as weak and dependent, although, the mom is seen as independent and strong. I love that this book also discusses that needing help and support is also okay. The ending explaining how at the end of the day she is still just my mom gave me a warm heart and loving bond seen in the characters. I love that the disability was not an overpowering focus of the book and that we readers can still interpret their personalities. show less

"Mama's got a zooming machine
and she zooms me everywhere."

Simple text pairs with joyful, up-close illustrations of a mother and her son zooming through the day. Their imaginations transform the wheelchair from a racehorse to an airplane to a ship at sea. Often the wheelchair is cropped out of the frame, but it is included in a few illustrations. The "zooming machine" and Mama, seen through the child's eyes, are both strong and positive: "Mama has very strong arms from all our zooming." The show more child's father appears at the beginning, to lift the child onto Mama's lap, and at the end, as they all go up a steep hill together. show less

I would pray that any adult in a wheelchair could have a son like this one. He makes everyday an adventure for his mother, Instead of seeing her wheelchair as a problem, he sees it as an imagination oppurtunity. Such a sweet, heart warming story.

This is a sweet story about a boy spending his days with his mom, zooming here to there, playing make-believe the whole way. When she zooms him down the smooth sidewalk, she his race car, and when she zooms across the lawn, she's his race car. The illustrations focus on him and his mom rather than the wheelchair, which shows us how the disability is not bringing her down, but her son sees it as her superpower. I think that this would be very good to share to a class by showing that our show more parents are all different, but a disability doesn't hold you back. show less