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A young child, whose mother calls her Dear One, is trying to find the boundaries of her mother’s love, and eventually realizes that there are no such limitations. The story of a mother’s patient, unending, wonderful love for her child is nothing new. But the pure simplicity of Barbara M. Joosse’s story, in a cold Alaskan setting, coupled with the bright, beautiful illustrations by Barbara Lavellee, has made Mama, Do You Love Me? an award-winning book and a favorite in my house.
Initially, Dear One simply asks if her mother loves her, to which her mother answers in a poetic way, likening her love for Dear One to how much the “raven loves his treasure… the dog loves his tail… the whale loves his spout.” Not content with just that, Dear One and her mother walk through their Inuit village as Dear One poses what-if questions:
Mama, what if I carried our eggs-- our ptarmigan eggs! and I tried to be careful, and I tried to walk slowly, but I fell and the eggs broke?
After each of the situations Dear One offers, her mother responds with infinite patience that, though she would be sad or sorry, still she would love her Dear One. At the end, Dear One’s mother promises that she will love her Dear One “forever and for always.”
Mama, Do You Love Me? is an extraordinary book meant to be shared between a mother and her child(ren). The vocabulary, though it is educational and a part of the draw to the book, makes it nearly impossible for an early-reading child to read the book on his or her own. But that is quite acceptable, for some books are simply made to read together. How else could you punctuate Dear One’s mother’s words, “forever and for always,” than with kisses and hugs?
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Mama, Do You Love Me?