Read for Me, Mama

Thursday is library day, Joseph's favorite day at school. Joseph loves books, and Thursday the librarian lets him take two books home: an easy book that he can read by himself and a harder book that someone can read for him. Joseph would love nothing more than to have Mama read for him. But it seems that Mama is always too busy. Then after supper one Saturday night, Joseph takes his book to the rocking chair where Mama is sitting and asks her to read for him. Mama begins to cry. The Truth is that Mama doesn't know how to read. Vashanti Rahaman's compassionate story of how a mother and son face the challenge of literacy is told with warmth and sensitivity, while Lori McElrath-Eslick's bold and beautiful oil paintings light the pages with images of hope and love.