May is the month of flowers, parades, sunshine and, of course, mothers.
Mother’s Day — May 8 this year — is recognized around the world and there are scores of titles in the North Olympic Library System catalog that celebrate and explore the many facets of motherhood, from treasured nursery rhymes to memoirs and sagas of survival.
Stories to share with youngsters
• “Ol’ Mama Squirrel” by David Stein tells the enduring story of a mother’s fierce love for her family in the face of danger: in this case, a grizzly bear.
• Who wasn’t told as a child not to “wander off” or “go too far?” “Mama’s Little Duckling” by Marjorie Parker recounts that familiar warning.
• And what about Mother Goose?! “Mainly Mother Goose” by Lois and Bram Sharon features those beloved rhymes on a children’s CD.
• “A Mama for Owen” by Marion Bauer is based on a true story from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami about a young African hippopotamus separated from his mother and the new snuggle partner he finds: a giant tortoise named Mzee.
Hands-free reading
While you’re out exercising or gardening, try listening to a Playaway: a pocket-sized audiobook that only requires earbuds and a battery.
Here are a few picks to get you started.
• “Mama Learns to Drive” by author Donald Davis presents eight short stories about his mother and other family members as they grew up in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina.
• “The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to his White Mother” by National Book Award-winner James McBride is a powerful meditation on race and identity.
• “Room” by Emma Donoghue recently was adapted into a motion picture and tells the story of a kidnapped mother and son who live in a tiny 11-square-foot cell and their flight to freedom.
• “In A Remarkable Mother,” former President Jimmy Carter has written a loving, admiring and wry homage to Miss Lillian Carter, who championed the underdog always, even when her son was president.
For more …
Visit the Sequim Library to find these and many more titles that celebrate Mother’s Day and the spring season.
For additional information and book recommendations, visit www.nols.org, get in touch with your friendly library staff by calling 683-1161, or stop-in for a visit at 630 N. Sequim Ave.
Alisa Weiss is a customer service specialist at the Sequim Library.
