I expected more text in Home Base: A Mother-Daughter Story. I was expecting a story that came out and said, “Look I’m a Mom and you’re a Girl Kid and we want to do traditionally male work/sports. But we’re going to kick it. Just you see!” However, instead of that, it is just a few words per page telling you a little something about what is going on and you need to fill in the rest. Because I was told it was a mother-daughter story by the title and the publisher write ups what it was about, I was able to fill it in. Yet, I am not sure if I had gone into it cold, I would have been able to realize that as much.
With that said, Nikki Tate did something pretty interesting. And Katie Kath did justice to the illustrations. The mom’s modern haircut and that tattoo on her arm makes up for anything I felt was “lacking” at first with the text/story. The colors and details make for a pleasant reading of the art. Illustrations become the focus to help convey Tate’s idea.
It is a perfect book for a child who is just starting to pick out words to solo read (or with help) and possibly it could also make you look up why “butter” was used in bricklaying. This is a “girl power” read but can be read by anyone. It has a broad appeal. However, its picture book format could deter some readers who are not fans of the genre or have a misconception of the broad appeal of them. Overall, an interesting book.