Big Mama

by Tony Crunk

A portrait of a local hero

All the neighborhood kids agree that Billy Boyd's grandmother is a wonder. She can build freight trains and spaceships, she knows intergalactic code, and she even plays kickball. Best of all are those hot summer evenings when Big Mama treats the whole gang to ice cream. Woody's ice-cream stand is all the way across town, and with Big Mama in the lead, the journey there and back again is always full of adventure.

In this warm, affectionate book, lush and lively illustrations are filled with amusing details of small-town life.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Julia Jasztal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mommy's review from 11/22/11 -


I really like reading stories with Julia that are about different kinds of families and children. In this story a little boy lives with his grandparents "because he doesn't have a mother or father anymore." This may lead into some questions from some children. My daughter didn't ask any because she's well aware that some children don't have or live with their parents. I'm a single mother so she knows this well. But I can see it sparking interest in some children who live in a two parent household and can't imagine anything different.
There's a distinct "southern" feel to the story and the illustrations. That may be only to me because there's a huge difference between 'north' and 'south' to me. But Big Mama, as the boys grandmother is called, isn't just 'Big Mama' to him, she's Big Mama to all of the kids and that impression is engraved early on in the story.
Crunk goes on to illustrate, with the story, how easy Big Mama is and what she lets the kids do, what she does for them, and at the same time he shows how she commands respect and how people listen to her.
Around the middle of the story Big Mama takes the kids to get ice cream and there's one of those parts we often see in children's books, they went this way, then that way, past this, over that, under here, through there, etc. I can deal with that fine. It's the going back that gets me more often than not. It's safe to assume the characters are going back. Even going back the same way can be assumed. So unless something is going to happen on the way back through, above, under, in, out, on top, etc. why add it in? It's so repetitive and authors seem to really, really enjoy it. I could be more forgiving (although not much more if I'm honest) if this was for a toddler but it's not. A child my daughters age, 6, will get bored easily with parts like that if they run too long. Luckily this stopped on the border. Had it gone any farther Julia would have started groaning, I'm sure of it.
The pictures are kind of so-so in how they're done but what they depict is another story entirely. I loved how Big Mama, an older white woman, treated all the children the same, black kids, white kids, older, younger, in a wheelchair, it didn't matter. They're treated equally.
This isn't shouted out in the story, it's very subtle and I think it's perfect.
This is another where I wouldn't recommend running out to purchase it but it's worth reading if you find it at the library or a garage sale or some such. I'd even say it's worth reserving it at the library, if for nothing else than the pros I've already mentioned.

[Amber Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big Mana is a fiction book about a young boy named Billy who lives with his grandmother. His grandmother is loved by all the kids in the neighborhood because even though she is an older female, she still does many things with her grandson that may not be typical for a girl. She plays kickball, builds trains and spaceships, and spends time with the kids.
As a literacy teacher, I would use this text in the classroom by focusing on the illustrations and having students describe how they spend their time with their grandparents. The detailed illustrations throughout the book play well with the level of text that the author uses.
The author, Tony Crunk, has a history in poetry, which may have aided in his use of creative language throughout the book. The illustrator, Margot Apple, lived in a household that didn't contain many books, but she was exposed to classic children's books. Her mother was an artist who fostered her artistic expression, which may have aided in her creative illustrations displayed in many books. I would use this book in the classroom to teach choldren that no matter what age or gender you are, females can participate, and do well in activities that may be predominately played by boys. I would recommend this book to teachers because it shows children people are not locked into a certain role in life due to race or gender, and to also be accepting of others around us.

[Kelsie Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a book that I really liked that I found during my picture book soak. The cover shows "Big Mama" with a group of kids, including a child in a wheelchair. The back of the jacket shows two children walking out of a gate with a house behind them. The cover is light pink with a blue spine and the end pages are turquoise. I thought this book was a fun read for not only myself, but for kids. In the story, Big Mama allows the kids to be as creative as they want and is always doing things with them. However, if they make a mistake such as breaking the neighbor's window, she makes sure that they do what is right to make up for their mistake. Also, when she takes them for ice creme she stops them at places along the way to help out people in the community. To me, this book shows that not only is it okay to use your imagination, but also it can be fun to help out other people. Something that really drew me to like this book as well is that the book starts out by saying that Big Mama is the grandma of one of the kids that no longer has parents, and that his grandpa is called Papa. This is a book that can be used to show that all families are different and if you have a child that is in this situation, it would be a good book to share with them to show them that they are not the only one that has that particular family structure.

[Davonni · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Big Mama is about a boy who lives with his grandmother. His grandmother is not your typical grandmother in the sense that she plays with the kids in the neighborhood even though she is so much older than they are. The main characters in this book are the young boy named Billy and his grandmother who they call Big Mama. The genre of style of writing is good for elementary students. As a literacy teacher I would use this text in the classroom to get the students thinking about things they do when spending time with their grandparents. I would have them do cut outs of old magazines that show activities they do with their grandparents. The author Tony crunk is from the same background as Billy, although this story does not seemed to be based on a true story. This text related to my topic in the fact that it shows how Big Mama is breaking stereotypes by participating in those different activities in her neighborhood. Playing kickball is something that you don’t usually see older women do, but Big Mama puts all stereotypes asides and enjoys playing with her grandson. I would recommend this book to other teachers because it teaches a great lesson on stereotypes.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book about a little boy's beloved grandmother who cares for him since "he doesn't have a mother or father anymore." Perfect for anyone who needs a book about different sorts of families, it also seamlessly includes a multi-ethnic cast and a child in a wheelchair. I loved the fact that all of this was just seen as normal, as it should be. What was seen as special was the way "Big Mama" actively engages with the children and seems to really understand their need to explore and even cause a little trouble sometimes. She balances this with the insistence on taking responsibility and atoning for mistakes, something that can be difficult for parents at times. And they go out for ice cream. Which is delicious. I approve.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute book about a grandmother that is loved by all. Billy lives with her so this is a good book to read if you have a child that lives with grandparents. Good illustrations and a great adventure.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

An adorable book about a child who lives with his grandparents.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute book about a boy that lives with his grandmother. While, his mother maybe his grandmother that doesn't stop all of the neighborhood children from following Big mama around.