My Mom Is a Foreigner, But Not to Me

K-Gr 2—Children from many cultures express their feelings about having a mother born in a different country in this confusing attempt to celebrate the immigrant experience. Moore does capture the internal conflict youngsters feel about having a parent who is different; some of the kids love the funny kinds of foods they eat and know all of the parts of the foreign songs their moms sing, while others find the food gross and the strange customs and nicknames embarrassing. Told in a clumsy verse with forced rhymes and an awkward meter, this story unfortunately falls flat. "She talks a little funny./She has an accent: it is French!/She had to learn a new language here/Because her words weren't making sense." Changes in font are distracting and introduce contradictory thoughts in the same paragraph. "We eat funny kinds of foods sometimes./I love it./It tastes gross./My Grandma made it, she taught my Mom./I put it on my toast!" So's bright watercolor illustrations, while full of multicultural characters and ethnic details, do little to clarify the speakers or complement the text. The concept is heartfelt but the author attempts to cover too many details and emotions.—Kristine M. Casper, Huntington Public Library, NY