If Mom Had Three Arms

by Karen Kaufman Orloff, Pete Whitehead (Illustrator)

“I only have two arms!” Every mother has said it sometime, and every kid has heard it. But a young boy wonders: what would happen if Mom really had more…many more? Children looking at this inventive and amusingly illustrated picture book will happily join in the fantasy.  If Mommy had many arms, what could she do? Just imagine! She’d be Supermom, with three arms juggling, or four-armed Mom at a crosswalk, making cars stop and go. And why raise just one hand in class when you can raise…FIVE? As kids count along right up to 20 amazing presidential arms shaking hands, holding babies, signing bills, and saluting the flag, they’ll come up with some great ideas of their own. But best of all, they will remember that Mom only needs her two real arms for hugging.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Counting, Mathematics

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Karen Kaufman Orloff is the author of many books for children including I Wanna Iguana, I Wanna New Room, and I Wanna Go Home, all inspired by her son’s pet iguana who quickly grew to be over four feet long and take over his room. She also writes a humorous column on family life every other week for The Poughkeepsie Journal.

Reviews

[Kyra Christiansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is great for kindergarteners learning how to count. You can get the students involved by having them count all of the arms on the mom or have them find the hidden numbers on the pages. Some students can also relate to the love between a child and his/her mom.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Counting book.
The young boy asks mom to carry his backpack and she tells him she only has two arms. He starts imagining what it would be like if mom had more than two and each page shows a new scenario as arms are added. Funny and informative.

[Jannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A child hypothesizes about the fantastical and mundane things their mother could do, if only she had 3 (then 4, then 5, etc) arms.

[Lisa Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started out funny because I could relate but then it got a little weird for me....

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading If mom had three arms. It is a very silly book with rhyming the whole way through! There is also counting in the book which is good for the classroom. I would use this book for a rainy day activity. The illustrations are incredibile, bright and detailed. very good for younger children to keep their attention to the book!


Extension- After reading the book, have discussion with children about different things they would do if they had three arms. After the discussion, re- read the book and have the children get up and count along while acting out the different things in the book.

[Jamie]

If mom had three arms? How cool would that be? This book is a counting book. Son asks his mom if she could carry his backpack. Mom tells him she only has two arms. He then counts on if mom had three arms... four arms... five arms.. All the way up to twenty arms. How would it be like to have a mom with twenty arms? This book is a silly book that could relate to a younger reader when they ask their moms to do a lot for them. This book also helps its reader count to a silly story.

[Jessica Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! There are many ways you could use this book in the classroom. It is a rhyming book about a boy who imagines things his mom could do with 3+ arms! It would be great to show kids an example of what they can do they use their imagination! It also uses counting because with every page the mom has one more arm. Also, this book is just funny! The kids would love it!

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a boy who asks his mom to hold something and she says she only has 2 arms, as I often say. The boy starts to imagine what would happen if she had 3 arms, 4 arms, 5 arms, etc. In the end the mom only has 2 arms, but that is enough to hug him. The story is told by the boy so it has a voice and it could be used to teach counting as well.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has great rhyming words and also involves counting to twenty. It would be appropriate for young students and maybe the students could continue the arms as a comprehension activity and create words that rhyme with the book!

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a simple counting style book about a mother as a boy imagines what she'd be like with extra arms. The extra appendages aside, it's a good book to read around Mother's Day with a younger audience. It's fast and simple, always a good thing.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute story of what ifs, but a great counting book for young children.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our daughters Favorite book to pick... maybe because she hears Mom say "I only have 2 arms!" so often?! Great for Counting as well.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review: https://hiplibrariansbookblog.com/200...

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mom doesn't need any more than two hands, because those are for hugging

[Noel Echols]

used in a lower grade to help develop number sense

[Tracy Schillemore · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny fantasy about what mom could do if she had three arms. I would say that this is best for 4+.