Mummy goes to work by Kes Gray

Ill. David Milgrim. Hachette Children's Books, 2014. ISBN 978144921410.
(Age: 3-6) Recommended. Families. Mothers. When his mother goes to work, the narrator of this story tells us the sort of things mummy thinks about doing with him while she is at work. These range from being tickled, to roller skating, to cuddling and playing games. Each is outlined on a page with bold, bright illustrations of the curly headed boy and his dog. The reader has a little sympathy with the child listing the things she wants to do with him, until the last part of the book shows that she does do these things with him when she gets home each night.
A neatly told story, first published in 2006 as My mum goes to work, this will have broad appeal in homes and classrooms. Readers will love to hear it read aloud, and marvel at the way the story turns on its head, making for a funny ending. They will love to read it themselves, thinking about how they know they are loved at home and what they do with their parents. They will enjoy the depiction of the lad and his dog, the focus on each page until Mum returns, and it could open a discussion in classrooms where the talk is about what the students' parents do with their days.
Fran Knight