Mommy Is A Soft Warm Kiss

Mommy is a Soft Warm Kiss by Rhonda Gowler Greene. Illustrated by Maggie Smith. 2010. March 2010. Walker Books. 32 pages.

Mommy is the sprinkle rain for seeds all in a row.
She helps me plant a garden.
We wait for it to grow.

Mommy is a ticklebug that
makes me squirm and giggle.
Her fingers creep-crawl
in and out...
and make me laugh and wiggle.

I loved this one. I did. I just loved it. I found it sweet and charming. It stars a little girl describing her mom in fun, imaginative ways. (It also shows a loving relationship all through the year--through the four seasons. Which is a nice feature.) It does rhyme, but it's rhyme that works. It has a nice rhythm to it. (So hard to get it just right, but I think Green succeeds for the most part.) My favorite line is this:

Mommy is a rocking chair
when time to take a nap.
Back and forth I rock and doze,
cozy in her lap.

I also liked the illustrations. I thought they worked well with the text.


© Becky Laney of Young Readers