What Moms Can't Do

A young dinosaur lists the many things that "moms can't do" in this amusing picture-book from Douglas Wood and Doug Cushman, which pairs a fairly straightforward text, highlighting the many ways that mom "falls short," with illustrations that depict a slightly different reality. Moms "need a little advice when they're packing lunches," our narrator informs us, while the artwork shows Mom packing a wholesome meal, while her son holds out every sugary snack he can find, hoping to have it included. Moms "can't make a basket on their own," we learn, while looking at an image of Mom lifting her son high, to allows him to make a basket. In the end, however, Moms can to one very important thing, we are told: they can love us!

This sweet show more picture-book was chosen as one of our May selections, over in The Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where our theme this month is "mothers," and it certainly fits the bill! I appreciated the humor, which arises from the contrast between words and image, and think that the use of dinosaurs - always a popular theme with the picture-book crowd - was a smart move, on Cushman's part. All in all, an engaging book, one I would recommend to young children who enjoy humorous stories. show less

This book is a very cute book written from a child's point of view about all the things a mom can't do. All of the things the child says the mom "can't do" are actually things that the child never sees the mom do, or things she just doesn't do, but to the child she can't do them. Cute read aloud book.

4.5 stars.

This delightful story is told from the perspective of a child who says that mommy can't do a lot of things but the pictures tell a different tale: Moms can't bake, but the child has helped and made a horrific mess. Moms can't go shopping by themselves but the illustrations show the child putting things in the cart that the Mom takes out again.

But you may notice a trend here: there are a lot of traditional female things the child talks about like cooking and cleaning and shopping. But there are other things like playing sports (basketball I think) and games, etc., which saves it for me.

The illustrations are adorable and the idea is delightful. This is a picture book that would be enjoyable for both child and adult.

4.5 stars.

This delightful story is told from the perspective of a child who says that mommy can't do a lot of things but the pictures tell a different tale: Moms can't bake, but the child has helped and made a horrific mess. Moms can't go shopping by themselves but the illustrations show the child putting things in the cart that the Mom takes out again.

But you may notice a trend here: there are a lot of traditional female things the child talks about like cooking and cleaning and shopping. But there are other things like playing sports (basketball I think) and games, etc., which saves it for me.

The illustrations are adorable and the idea is delightful. This is a picture book that would be enjoyable for both child and adult.

This book is through the eyes of a little boy dinasaure and the things he says moms cant do. It is every day stuff that mothers often stuggle with whne they have children. However, in the end he says the one thing mothers can do better than anyone else is love their children.

This is a very cute book, it reminds me and my children and myself. I tend to be a little over protective of my kids so I could easily see them feeling as if I cant do anything without them.

This would be a good book to have on hand when students feel as if they can't do anything. You will always have some of those students that feel like they will never reach success. As a teacher having books and lessons to teach and show them that yes with a lot of practice and show more hard work you can and will be successful in something one day. So this book would be a good one to have in a collection like that. show less

Cute enough. I think that I would have enjoyed it more with other illustrations - but then, I guess I'm glad they were dinosaurs, not overdone dogs or chickens or whatever. Reminds me an awful lot of the [b:Just a Little Critter Collection|386212|Just a Little Critter Collection|Mercer Mayer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320416371s/386212.jpg|375894] books, which are even better (imo) and more affordable.

ETA: I've now read the companion book about dads, and I've realized what bothers me the most is that the Mom was doing almost entirely dutiful things with the child. Grocery shopping, gardening, making beds, etc. The dad gets to play ball, go camping, eat cake and ice cream, etc. That makes the Dad book a bit more of joy to read. show more But neither is special enough to rate higher than 3*s. show less

Summary: This is a cute book from a young dinosaur's point of view about things his mother can't do well. For example, moms can't wait to wake up kids in the morning. There is something on every page that moms can't do well, but the last thing the young dino mentions is something that moms can do well-love.

Personal Reaction: I thought this was a really cute book. I can relate to the mother dino because she can't let go of a hug without a kiss. Or two. Or nine. I would enjoy reading this book to my children to see their reactions.

Classroom Extension Ideas: I could read this book around Mother's Day and have the class 1) make their own books about things they are thankful for that their mother does for them or 2) make a collage dedicated show more to their mothers (or guardian). show less