Lacy Finn Borgo

The cover was the best part of this book. The story has a well-used plot - the beloved pet animal who gets too big for his owner. In this case, a stereotypical older woman (seriously, would any woman be called "Big Mama" anymore?) raises a calf and then, giving the reader serious doubts about her ability to support and run her farm, refuses to sell him, even though he is destroying her garden and causing trouble. Eventually a happy solution is reached.

The illustrations don't live up to the cover. The faces are oddly proportioned and the art seems rough and amateurish. The art shows what apparently is meant to be a contemporary small town with a diverse cast and modern clothing, but the elderly woman running her own small farm, and pet calf, and the name "Big Mama" seem to come out of another era.

Verdict: A sweet idea and a lovely cover, but it just didn't work. Not recommended.

ISBN: 978-1590781876; Published August 2007 by Boyds Mills; Borrowed from the library… (altro)

Borgo, Lacy Finn. Big Mama’s Baby. Illus. Nancy Cote. Boyds Mill Press, 2007.

Annotation and recommendation:
Big Mama’s baby is a calf. However, as the story progresses, the full-grown cow becomes a problem for big mama. He is too big for her yard. The neighbors can’t understand why she would keep a cow as her pet. They are complaining about her pet making noises at night and the smell coming from her yard because of the cow’s compost. Mama must make a difficult decision to let Baby go and live on a farm where there is more space to roam. She realizes that even though she loves Baby, she must accept that he needs more space and has to let him go. Ages 10-13 will enjoy reading this story. It is also excellent for teachers looking for a book about the difficulties involved in making the right decisions. The typeface text are consistent throughout the book and cultural stereotypes of people living on a farm and their way of speaking is also used. The illustrations help to support the reader’s comprehension of the story and the opportunity to learn about farm life. Recommended for level 2 readers because there are some difficult words; however, the meanings are made apparent through the context.

Extension: Students would answer the following question in a paragraph, “If you were Big Mama, how would you have resolved this problem?”… (altro)