What do you think?
Rate this book
No Time for Mother's Day
Although it takes her some time, at the last minute, Charity Chatfield thinks of the perfect Mother's Day gift for her busy mother. By the creators of Turkey Pox. Reprint.
32 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1999
90 people want to read
About the author
Laurie Halse Anderson
102 books17.5k followersUPDATE! Rebellion 1776 is out! The New York Times wrote, "Filled with immersive detail, expert delineations of complex characters, and both harsh and loving reality, Rebellion 1776 provides young readers with a true experience of a historic moment in time that resonates with today's world." Huzzah!
Laurie Halse Anderson is the New York Times-bestselling author of many award-winning books including the groundbreaking, modern classic Speak, a National Book Award finalist which has sold over 3.5 million copies and been translated into 35 languages.
In 2023, Anderson was named the Laureate of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, long considered to be the de facto 'Nobel Prize for Children's Literature.'
A passionate spokesperson for the need to combat censorship, she has been honored for her battles for intellectual freedom by the National Coalition Against Censorship and the National Council of Teachers of English. She lives near Philadelphia. Go Birds!
Follow Laurie on Bluesky at @halseanderson.bsky.social, Instagram at halseanderson, and Facebook at lauriehalseanderson, or by visiting her website, madwomanintheforest.com.
Laurie Halse Anderson is the New York Times-bestselling author of many award-winning books including the groundbreaking, modern classic Speak, a National Book Award finalist which has sold over 3.5 million copies and been translated into 35 languages.
In 2023, Anderson was named the Laureate of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, long considered to be the de facto 'Nobel Prize for Children's Literature.'
A passionate spokesperson for the need to combat censorship, she has been honored for her battles for intellectual freedom by the National Coalition Against Censorship and the National Council of Teachers of English. She lives near Philadelphia. Go Birds!
Follow Laurie on Bluesky at @halseanderson.bsky.social, Instagram at halseanderson, and Facebook at lauriehalseanderson, or by visiting her website, madwomanintheforest.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 3, 2010
This is a fun story, one to which both parents and kids will be able to relate. The little girl wants to find the perfect present for her mom but none of the usual gifts seem quite right; finally, she finds something that her mom desperately needs and is able to deliver the perfect gift! :-) I like that we have a hard-working mom (both as a mother and as a business owner) and a husband that really seems to understand his wife and a daughter who notices how hard it is to be a mom, and what might make that task a little easier! Unfortunately, I was not a fan of the illustrations at all so that lessened my enjoyment of the book overall. But, it's still a fun read for Mother's Day.
February 7, 2022
D'awwwww!
This one was both adorable and utterly horrifying.
It's amazing that it can pull off both simultaneously, but it does.
The innocence of a child wanting to give their mother something special on Mother's day is adorable, and the poor adults who are caught between the spirit of what the child did and the absolute devastation that those actions imply is horrifying.
That moment of silence that's in the book is telling: you can hear the gibbering panic that is rushing through the adults' heads while they are hit with all the ramifications, and then they decide to set those aside and accept the gift in the spirit it was intended.
It's cute, but man, kids are terrifying.
They think so one-tracked, they literally cannot consider their actions from multiple angles. It's terrifying.
Story: Narrative
Art: Not my type
Price: $15.30
This one was both adorable and utterly horrifying.
It's amazing that it can pull off both simultaneously, but it does.
The innocence of a child wanting to give their mother something special on Mother's day is adorable, and the poor adults who are caught between the spirit of what the child did and the absolute devastation that those actions imply is horrifying.
That moment of silence that's in the book is telling: you can hear the gibbering panic that is rushing through the adults' heads while they are hit with all the ramifications, and then they decide to set those aside and accept the gift in the spirit it was intended.
It's cute, but man, kids are terrifying.
They think so one-tracked, they literally cannot consider their actions from multiple angles. It's terrifying.
Story: Narrative
Art: Not my type
Price: $15.30
October 11, 2023
I Love My Mother
May 18, 2018
Have you ever forgot about Mother's Day and went to get her something at the last minute? What did you get her? This picture book was good and I liked how it related to what some p[eople go through before Mother's Day. I would recommend it to any child that has to get a present for Mother's Day.
October 25, 2015
No Time for Mother's Day is a collaboration between an excellent author and an excellent illustrator, and the partnership works very well. Laurie Halse Anderson's fresh, funny, and meaningful story is captured perfectly by the surprisingly detailed, in-depth artwork of Dorothy Donohue, and the result is a very good picture book.
With only two days before Mother's Day, Charity (I love that name!) has no idea what to give her mother. She wants it to be something that will really be used and appreciated, unlike some of the gifts that she has given in the past. Her mother is allergic to flowers and never has time to eat candy when it's given to her. What sort of gift could Charity give her mother that would really be enjoyed? With the hours ticking by on the night before Mother's Day and no ideas springing to mind, Charity suddenly realizes that there is something valuable she can give her mother, something that won't cost any money at all. By really tuning in to her mother's needs, Charity finds the one gift that her mother wanted most all along.
A creative, funny story, but also very thoughtful, No Time for Mother's Day is the kind of book that Laurie Halse Anderson has consistently produced for many years. Equally at home writing fiction for teenagers, older kids or the picture-book set, she has had a prolonged impact on young readers that will continue to reverberate within them as they grow older. I would definitely give two and a half stars to No Time for Mother's Day, and I recommend it for anyone seeking an enjoyable, well-balanced picture book.
With only two days before Mother's Day, Charity (I love that name!) has no idea what to give her mother. She wants it to be something that will really be used and appreciated, unlike some of the gifts that she has given in the past. Her mother is allergic to flowers and never has time to eat candy when it's given to her. What sort of gift could Charity give her mother that would really be enjoyed? With the hours ticking by on the night before Mother's Day and no ideas springing to mind, Charity suddenly realizes that there is something valuable she can give her mother, something that won't cost any money at all. By really tuning in to her mother's needs, Charity finds the one gift that her mother wanted most all along.
A creative, funny story, but also very thoughtful, No Time for Mother's Day is the kind of book that Laurie Halse Anderson has consistently produced for many years. Equally at home writing fiction for teenagers, older kids or the picture-book set, she has had a prolonged impact on young readers that will continue to reverberate within them as they grow older. I would definitely give two and a half stars to No Time for Mother's Day, and I recommend it for anyone seeking an enjoyable, well-balanced picture book.
May 6, 2012
Charity doesn't know what to get her mother for Mother's Day. She find some inspiration after reflecting on her cousin's gift for her aunt and observing her mother's busy life. The style and illustrations of this story seemed sweet and dated to me. A good choice if you need a good variety of selections for various holidays; one I'll skip for my small school library selection.
November 5, 2015
Via Mother's Day Minis (2)
A very interesting story and watching the juxtaposed characters as Aunt Imogene is showered with gifts from her son Fred and how mom is given nothing but the simplest of gifts. Material goods aren't everything, and this story makes sure to make the moral loud and clear.
A very interesting story and watching the juxtaposed characters as Aunt Imogene is showered with gifts from her son Fred and how mom is given nothing but the simplest of gifts. Material goods aren't everything, and this story makes sure to make the moral loud and clear.
May 14, 2015
I am a fan of Laurie Halse Anderson's YA work. Before doing that (was Speak the first, in 1999?) she wrote children's books. This one is unremarkable, but.. nice.. and the best thing about it is the beautiful artwork by Dorothy Donohue. Anderson is best when there's an edge to her prose, snark, sarcasm. None of that here, alas.
April 5, 2008
cute kids book
May 5, 2012
A creative solution to the problem of what to get for mother leads to the playful title of this 1999 Laurie Halse Anderson title.
January 17, 2016
A cute children's book. I can still read Anderson's touch in the short story :) and the story really was very nice and realistic.
November 17, 2014
No time for a review. Good book though.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews