The first thing I noticed about Mommy Sayang by Rosana Sullivan was that there was a fun cover featuring a diverse people. The second thing I noticed was that was some bold blue and I was envious of the girl’s curly hair. After opening I noticed that there was some fabulous gorgeous, lush, fantastically created illustrations. Each page is filled with more detail than you can see in one viewing. Just reading the art would not be a waste of time.
Sullivan is an artist with Pixar Animation Studios. This and other books from them help showcase not only the artist creating book, but other aspects that are not what we normally see in books. Mommy Sayana is the story set in a Malaysian kampung, or village. And even though this book has a “sad part” to it, it is a sweet story. Our child narrator is typical of children around the world. She loves her mother, she is upset when things do not go her way, and she knows that she can help her mother by being at her side, like her mother has always been by hers.
If there is any complaint, the book could have benefited from a pronunciation guide and definitions. Though there is an afterwards by Sullivan that helps fill in a few of these blanks. Therefore, it could be a great book for the classroom. As well as could be used as a Mother’s Day book for someone who has all the traditional Mother’s Day books. I did not “jump up and down” over this book, but I did enjoy it and hope that others can find a cozy spot to sit and read. Even if you do not have a child to snuggle up and read with.
