Mama Zooms

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 parents are all different, but a disability doesn't hold you back.

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 a hall, he's a train conductor, that sort of thing.

His mother zooms him in her wheelchair, but that's only shown in the illustrations, not discussed. There is a mention that "we love ramps", but the fact is that able-bodied children love running up and down ramps too, it doesn't say explicitly "Because Mama can't get up the stairs".

This sort of presentation is, I think, very important in normalizing disability. Books that make a big deal about the subject can serve to make it seem scarier and stranger than it actually is.

This book, by contrast, is a storybook, nothing more. I really show more recommend this to any child, especially any child who knows anybody who uses a wheelchair. 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 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.

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 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 show more 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

In Mama Zooms, a young boy loves his mama regardless of the disability she has. Everyday the little boy sits in his mama’s lap and zooms from one place to another. In this book the mom and her zooming machine serves as his car, wave, wagon, etc, but at the end of the day he never forgets about the zooming machine and just remembers his mom.

I absolutely loved this book. I found it very heart felt. It really got the emotions going. I think it is amazing when parents and their children have a close relationship but it is even greater when the relationship has a constant obstacle.

This book could be used in a family unit. At one time or another, as a teacher I will probably have a student who could relate to this situation. Anything you as show more the teacher can do to help the situation is great. I think this book also helps someone see how an imagination can be used. All throughout the book the little boy calls the wheelchair a various number of things. He had a great imagination. show less

MAMA ZOOMS by Jane Cowen-Fletcher is a beautifully imaginative story about a son and his mother who is in a wheelchair. In the story, the boy fully embraces his mother's handicap, seeing her wheelchair as a "zooming machine"; it's a race car, a space ship, a train, a wagon, and even a wave for him to surf on. The boy's mother plays along with his imagination as they ride along together. I really enjoyed this story and I think it would be a great one to have in the classroom, especially if there are students with physical handicaps. The illustrations were simple and colorful and the text provides an easy read for young students. I would use this book as a way to discuss disabilities with students. After reading the book out loud, I would show more have students choose their favorite scene from the book and illustrate it (either with crayons, markers, paint, etc.). Then they could display they artwork and share with the class what they made and retell the scene from the story. If there is a student in the class with a similar disability, I would invite them to talk about it with the class, but only if they feel comfortable. show less

This book is about a young boy and mother whom make the best out of their situation. The boy continuously is smiling and having bundles of joy along with his mom pretending and imaging that they are zooming in many types of situations. The boy never questions the fact of his mothers wheelchair, it is just a way of life to him. For example, at one point in the story he becomes a jockey and she is his race horse. The young boy looks beyond his mothers disability and enjoys his mother.
I really enjoyed this book because I love that it associates fun with a disability. Many people locate a disability as a down factor. Generally, people do not know how to handle situations while engaged with a person with a disability. This book brings a new show more look to these particular types of situations.
In the classroom, I would bring in a small wheelchair and allow my superstar each day to have one full day in the chair. This would allow them to see and have experience of how it feels and what it takes to be mobilized in a wheelchair.
In the classroom, I would have each student write about what they would do and how they would feel if they were in a wheelchair. How they feel about people in wheelchairs and how they use to feel before reading this particular story. show less