Mama Does the Mambo

Every child wants to believe that his or her mother is the prettiest in the world. That no eye can compare to her, nor any other mother for that matter. In "Mama Does the Mambo", we watch a mother who was once most beautiful when she was dancing. The book is a delicately structured tale of how families must adapt and change as their situations change as well. Sofia's mother hasn't danced since her Papa died. Living in Havana, Sofia's parents would cut a rug any chance that they got. They could do the merengue, the tango, the rumba, and the chachacha. The dance Mama loved the best, however, was the mambo. Now Sofia's Papa is dead and her mother never dances any more. People in the neighborhood keep hinting that her mother should find a new dance partner. Sofia is fairly certain that no one but Papa could dance with her mother, and this is confirmed by the appearance of Eduardo. Sofia and Eduardo get along splendidly and his courtship of her mom is slow and delicate. Unfortunately, Eduardo can't dance to save his soul. Sofia knows that for the next Carnival her mother must must must dance. Come Carnival, dance her Mama does, but not necessarily the way that Sofia had planned. This story doesn't focus its attention on how well Sofia and Eduardo get along, though that is undoubtedly one of the many threads keeping the narrative together. So you won't necessarily be able to pidgeonhole this book as a "new parent" tale. Instead, the drama of this book comes with its focus squarely on Sofia's mother. Her grief for her lost husband is evident primarily in her lack of movement and rhythm. Maybe she wants to dance, but it's hard to do so after losing a partner as wonderful as her husband was. What Sofia is able to do is to help her mother accept his loss and act in his stead as her mother's new partner, daughter though she may be. The final parting shot of the two women spinning and dancing is a wonderful mother/daughter moment that far more treacly and sugary picture books have attempted to present and have failed. Katherine Leiner's text is wonderfully paced. The book begins with an acknowledgement immediately that Sofia's father has died. We then get some wonderful memories and flashbacks of him in his life (how he died is never mentioned). Later, it is clear that Eduardo is a great guy. A pity he can't dance. Accompanying this book are Edel Rodriguez's pastel, gouache, spray painted illustrations. These pictures throb with life and energy. I was especially taken with a section of four pictures displaying Sofia's parents doing four different dances. Should you wish to know the difference between a tango and a rumba, these pics may help. Most impressive, to me anyway, was the picture of the green/blue streets of Havana found in the book's endpapers. This is a truly beautiful book to pick up and view. I'm fascinated by the negative reviews this book has garnered. It almost seems as if I've read a book that's completely diff

"After Papa died, Mama stopped dancing." So begins this extraordinarily lyrical story ofthe triumph of love over grief. Sofia decides that Mama must dance again. Through Ms.Leiner's brilliant story-telling and Mr. Rodriguez's evocative artwork, Sofia searches fora new partner for her mother. I felt effortlessly drawn into the world of Havana, itscolors, smells, textures, rhythms. I loved the Spanish phrases that bloom throughout Ms.Leiner's text like Mama's hibiscus flowers. Take this journey with Sofia and Mama as they come to terms with the loss of Papa, and create a radiance all their own. I highlyrecommend this book.

This is a lovely and ultimately uplifting story about a family moving on after the death of the father. Though it is set in Cuba (and uses a few easily understood Spanish phrases), it is really a universal tale that seems particularly timely in light of the number of children who lost their fathers this past year. Also, for non-Latin kids, is great "slice-of-life" exposure to another culture.