Mummy Cuddle by Kate Mayes

Illus. by Sara Acton. ABC Books, 2019. ISBN: 9780733339431.
(Age: 1-5) Highly recommended. Themes: Bedtime, Parent and child, Mothers, Feel good book. A lovely gentle but very humorous book Mummy cuddle tugs at the heartstrings and leaves the reader feeling happy after reading it. Bunny creeps out of bed and 'brum brum', pushes a little car down the stairs and asks Mummy to play. Mummy is very patient and carries him back upstairs on her back and quietly answers questions while trying to get Bunny to sleep.
The narrative is sparse with most double page spreads having only two words: 'Mummy play?' Mummy talk?' 'Mummy brush?' 'Mummy pat' until finally 'Mummy dream' and 'Mummy cuddle'. Children will have fun predicting just what Bunny will come up with next in the quest to stay awake and many will know just what will happen. Sara Acton's outstanding illustrations done in soft pastels, with Mummy and Bunny outlined in black, are enchanting. The characteristics of both are clear - Mummy is such a loving, unflappable parent while Bunny is persistent but loving as well, even covering Mummy with a blanket as she sleeps on the floor. The endpapers are worthy of close examination, the front ones showing Bunny having a bath and getting ready for bed, while the back ones show an exuberant dance.
This would be an ideal book to share with children on Mother's Day in particular, but the message of parental love is one for any time. I can see it becoming a cherished book that celebrates the bond between mother and child.
Pat Pledger