MOTHER DEAR: My May Reading Picks
There are few things so universal in life as death, taxes - and mothers. And like death and taxes, mothers can be a tricky subject.
While many of us have gone through life with our mothers playing the role of nurturer, advisor, cheerleader, and more, for many the person of "mother" comes with a certain amount of baggage. Some of us never knew our mothers. Some of us do, but the relationship is messy. Others enjoyed a special closeness with their mothers that was cut short by their untimely passing. And that doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of what our own journeys into motherhood look like.
As a mother myself, I find I have become particularly sensitive to how motherhood is portrayed when I'm reading. I find myself wondering about the mother's story even when she's not the main character . I'm not quite as quick to immediately side with the rebellious teenage character as I used to be. And rereading books with my children that I loved as a child has caused me to notice things that completely went over my head when I first read them long ago.
Mothers in literature are found in as many colors as you'll find in real life. There are mothers like Molly Weasley, whose home overflows with children and magic and love. There are mothers like Cersei Lannister who will stop at nothing to do what she believes is best for her children, no matter how evil. There are those like Marilla Cuthbert, with tough exteriors and hearts of gold. And there are many books with no mother at all, whether by her choice or by tragedy.
And so, in honor of Mother's Day this month - coming up May 12th! - here are some of my picks for books featuring mothers you can relate to. Mothers who love their children fiercely, and do their best to raise them well in spite of the circumstances life throws their way.
PICTURE BOOK - The Story of Ferdinand, by Munro Leaf. Illustrations by Robert Lawson.
This children's favorite is a classic for good reason. Ferdinand's mother knows her son is just a little different than the rest, but she loves him as he is and let's him live his own way. As a result, Ferdinand goes on to have a happy - if not sometimes surprising - life. While Ferdinand's mother only shows up on a few pages of this book, her touch on her son's life echos throughout the story.
YOUNG READERS - The Girl Who Drank the Moon, by Kelly Barnhill.
Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as a sacrifice to the witch in the forest, in hopes that she will leave them be. But Xan, the witch, is no villain. She rescues the abandoned children and finds them new homes on the other side of the forest. That is, until she accidentally feeds one of the babies moonlight, endowing the child with a brand of especially powerful magic. The sweeping narrative and beautiful writing make this Newberry Medal winner a fun read. The mother-child relationships in this book are complicated but heartwarming.
ADULT FICTION - Caroline: Little House Revisited, by Sarah Miller.
I loved the Little House books as a child, and I recently read the first two aloud to my five-year-old daughter. As I read, I kept thinking over and over, "Oh my gosh, what is going through Ma's head right now?!" When I saw this retelling of the story through Ma's eyes, I knew I had to take it home. This story highlights the resiliency of mothers, and speaks to all those tense and tricky situations in the original books that Laura simplified as she told her family's story from a child's point of view.