Review: Are you My Mother?

Are You My Mother?

Written and illustrated by P.D. Eastman

Publication Date: 1960
Publisher: Beginner Books
ISBN: 0-394-80018-4

Another classic story that even your parents might know from when they were kids (depending when your parents were born). This one is about a baby bird that hatches while his mother is out collecting food. So begins the baby bird’s journey to find his mother. Along the way he encounters many other creatures and machines, and to each one he asks the question: “Are you my mother?” until, at last, the mother and baby are reunited. In summary, it’s a story about belonging.

While it’s a solid story that’s easy to read, similar stories have since been released in bolder colours, with bigger pictures, and probably a shorter story (the bird does seem to encounter a lot of red-herrings before eventually realising who is mother is). Given that similar, more modern, possibly even better stories exist that convey the same theme, I find it difficult to enthusiastically recommend this book unless you are really fond of the originality and vintage quality of it.

My rating: 3.5 out of 5

Review written by team_s