Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
My mom is trying to ruin my life
Illustrator: Diane Goode
Picture Book
For ages 4 to 8
Simon and Schuster, 2009 ISBN: 1416941002
A little girl has a wonderful mother who cares for her, who makes her feel better when she hurts herself, and who does all the other motherish things that mothers do. The only problem is that her mother is “trying to ruin” her life. Her mother embarrasses the little girl by kissing her on the face in front of the little girl’s friends. She won’t let the little girl eat what she wants, and she stops her from doing “anything fun.”
The little girl decides that the time has come to do something about her mother. She comes up with an elaborate plan to escape her mother. She imagines her mother getting arrested for being a parent who is ruining a child’s life. She also imagines that her father – who is also trying to ruin her life – will also get arrested for the same crime. Surely, everything will be perfect then, won’t it?
Children all over the world believe that their parents are out to “ruin” their lives. Many of them imagine how wonderful life would be if they did not have adults telling them what to do all the time. This book was written for children who think their parents are a nuisance. With humor and through the eyes of a little girl, the author shows her audience that parents aren’t as bad as they might seem.
