6. Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino

Bibliographic Citation:
Guarino, Deborah. Is Your Mama a Llama? Illustrated by Steven Kellogg. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc., 2004. 32 p. ISBN 978-0439598422

Awards/Selection Lists:

None.

Format Examined:

Paperback

Annotation:

As a baby llama looks for his mother, he asks other baby animals about their mothers through rhyming text along the way. 

Personal Reaction:

Is Your Mama a Llama is a charming story of a baby llama's quest to find his mother. As he searches, he encounters other baby animals who describe their own mothers through riddles with rhyming text. Children are encouraged to guess, along with the llama, the identity of each of the animals that are described. The llama first meets Dave, and asks the question that is repeated throughout the book, "Is your mama a llama?". Dave answers with a clue, "She hangs by her feet, and she lives in a cave. I do not believe that's how llamas behave". The llama then guesses that Dave's mama must be a bat. The story continues in the same fashion with a swan, a cow, a seal, and a kangaroo. The story ends after the llama finds his friend, Llyn, whose mama is described as a llama. Steven Kellogg's illustrations are bright and the babies depicted are sweet. Each page that asks the question, "Is your mama a llama?" has the illustrations boxed on with a fine line around the picture. Each page with the answer to each riddle is in full color to the edges of the page. This artistic method encourages to children to participate in guessing, with the answer revealed in full-page color as a reward for their effort.

Age Recommendation:

I would recommend this book for 3-7 years of age.

Themes/Issues:

Animal babies, identification

Early Literacy Skill Value:

Letter Knowledge:
While letter knowledge is not a direct focus of this book, the double "L" in the word "llama" lends itself to letter recognition discussion.

Narrative Skills:
The rhyming clues invite children to participate in telling the story through guessing the animals that are described.

Phonological Awareness:
Phonological inference is embedded into this book through matching riddles and answers through rhyming text.

Print Awareness:
The riddle answers are each printed in large, bold text at the top of the page. This connects the printed words on the page with the answers that the children guess to each of the riddles.

Print Motivation:
Through riddles that rhyme, this book encourages having fun while reading. After participating in a reading or two of this book, children will want to share it with others through "reading" the riddles to them.

Vocabulary:

New words are introduced with each description of a new animal throughout this book. Words used to describe each of the animals also match with their specific animal name, which connects the vocabulary used in riddles and answers.

Author/ Illustrator Website:

No author website available.
Illustrator Steven Kellogg's website: http://www.stevenkellogg.com/