Carol Olivia Clementine lives with Mama Rose. Mama Rose is everything—tender and sweet. She is also as stern and demanding as any good parent should be. In the midst of their happy home, Carol misses her mother and father. She longs to be with them. But until that time comes around, she learns to surrender to the love that is present. Mama Rose becomes her “home.” And Carol Olivia Clementine concludes that she loves Miss Rose, “just like a mama.”
My Review:
I received a copy of this picture book from author Alice Faye Duncan in exchange for an honest review.
I have a little girl in class this year who is in the foster care system. This book reminds me so much of her and how she responds to her foster mother.
The story follows a little girl named Carol who is not living with her mom and dad. Instead, she lives with Miss Rose. Although she misses her parents, Carol gets in a routine with Miss Rose and learns that its okay to be loved by many different people. The lyrical text allows readers to connect with Carol’s emotions as she balances missing her parents, but also recognizing that Miss Rose loves her. The illustrations by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow are whimsical and capture the tender moments between mother and child. The back of the book has a touching note from Alice Faye Duncan where she expands on the idea of fictive kin” and how it affected her own family.
This tender picture book allows children in the same situation as Carol to understand that they are not alone in their situation. A beautiful story to begin the new year.
Ages 5 and up
40 Pages
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