by Trent Lorcher

Created on: May 28, 2008   Last Updated: January 29, 2009

When I was four, my mom ran into the store to pick up a gallon of milk and left me and my two brothers in the car unattended. My younger brother, always the troublemaker, messed around with the gear shift. We discovered that day the dangers of shifting the car into neutral while being unattended and parked on a hill. Luckily, a pedestrian jumped into the car, slammed on the brakes, and returned the car to safety as my mother looked on in horrified panic.

The above story would probably not qualify as an ideal children's book about moms, but the following would:

MOMMY, CARRY ME PLEASE, by Jane Cabrera

Babies love to be carried, especially when Mom has a billion things to do. In Mommy, Carry Me Please, Jane Cabrera explores this phenomenon through the eyes of anthropomorphic animals. Baby learns that hippos, crocodiles, penguins, lemurs, and kangaroos also love to be carried. I'm not suggesting you trick your child, but showing different methods of carrying baby animals can be a perfect introduction to a "put baby in the backpack game, so I can get something accomplished today."

GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU, by Sam McBratney

Guess How Much I Love You chronicles the relationship between Big Nutbrown Hare and Litle Nutbrown Hare as they attempt to express their love for each other. Its interactive nature provides a perfect segue to a big hug. I'm not suggesting you trick your child, but this book happens to end with the baby falling asleep and could suggest to an adored child, especially one who's a little cranky, that it's time to take a nap.

DO KANGAROOS WEAR SEAT BELTS? by Jane Kurtz

Do Kangaroos Wear Seat Belts explores the relationship between mother and child as Mom attempts to keep her rambunctious son safe. I'm not suggesting you trick your child, but this book might help a struggling mother corral an overly energetic child, especially if said child does not want to wear a seat belt. In fact, this book makes a fine alternative to hiring a police officer to arrest your child for not wearing a seatbelt and throwing him in jail.

LOVE YOU FOREVER, by Robert Munsch and Sheila McGraw

If Love You Forever doesn't stir up a desire in you to be a more loving human being then you probably possess a heart of stone that not even the sharpest of chisels could penetrate. It chronicles the life-long love and devotion a mother shares with her son as he progresses from baby to toddler, from toddler to boy; from boy to teenager; and from teenager to adult. In each stage the mother rocks her boy as she recites "I'll love you forever, / I'll like you for always, / As long as I'm living, / my baby you'll be." I'm not suggesting you trick your child, but the story ends with a grown man taking care of his aging mother, a potential hint that your child better take care of you later in life.

Learn more about this author, Trent Lorcher.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.