Missing Momma

August 12, 2024
Drawing from personal experience, per a concluding author’s note, Bingham (The Walk) pens a compassionate work featuring a perceptive child whose mother has returned from military deployment significantly changed. “Before the Army,/ before she went to war, before deployments in Africa, Afghanistan, and Iraq./ Momma was the funnest momma in the whole wide world.” The protagonist reminisces about playful times in which mother and child danced to Beyoncé, cooked together, and planted vegetables in the garden—where Momma says, “You not living life unless you’re one with the earth.” Now, though, the narrator reveals, Momma stares out the window all day, no longer hugging or humming, and sometimes exhibits behaviors that feel “mean, mean, mean.” Dragging a bucket of watery dirt inside, the protagonist meets Momma where she is, and the family finds a way to move forward through “days of sadness./ And days of joy.” Boldly stroked illustrations by Bell (Angry Me) add hints of the garden to domestic interiors through this tender work about cycles and transformation. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4–8.

Starred review from August 15, 2024
Momma hasn't been the same since returning from her deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa. The Momma who twirled to Beyonc� and loved gardening is gone, and in her place is a Momma who can't always manage to get out of bed, who has explosive outbursts, and who's lost "the sunlight spotlight smile" her child once found so much comfort and joy in. The attentive young protagonist tries to help, dragging a bucket of dirt into the house and opening the curtains to remind Momma of who she was. Momma's quiet, but she digs her fingers into the dirt, and things slowly begin looking up. Momma makes it clear that none of this is the child's fault, and the next day, the two smile as the wildflowers bloom and Beyonc� plays in the background. Bell's masterfully rendered, digitally edited ink and charcoal illustrations depict a Black mother and child whose love for each other is palpable even during moments of anguish. Scenes of them in the garden on Momma's good days are bright and lively. In contrast, the hard days are illustrated with a surrealistic quality that demonstrates the impact of Momma's pain on the whole family. Bingham's text is honest yet child-friendly; laudably, she makes it clear that the burden of resolving a parent's PTSD shouldn't fall upon a child and that grappling with mental-health issues takes time. A thoughtful, empathetic, and stirring child's-eye view of an all-too-common struggle. (author's note)(Picture book. 4-9)

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