Together for Mama

The text is direct, making the book accessible to younger ones who may be experiencing a similar situation to Asha's. Balance, color, and perspective are skillfully deployed to convey shifting emotions while emphasizing the emotional support the family is lucky to have. This will be incredibly useful to reassure little ones who are watching their parents struggle with an expanding family and all that it entails.

Pencil and digital drawings sensitively capture Mama's isolation and hint at other ways that the new arrival has complicated family dynamics. In this necessary, child-centered story, PPD is accurately depicted as treatable, Mama is supported without shame, and the whole family shares in Baby Maya's care. Realistic yet tenderly optimistic.

K-Gr 3--The saying "it takes a village to raise a child" is more than an adage in this sensitive, heartwarming story about a family's struggles after a new baby is born. Big sister Asha is a natural: she plays adoringly with her new sister, Maya, and even carries burp rags and a baby sling around the house. Mama, however, faces a bigger adjustment. After returning from the hospital, Mama appears haggard, exhausted, and worried. When Mama can't leave her darkened bedroom, it is clear to Papa that more support is needed during the family's transitional period. Two grandmothers, Dadi and Nani, arrive the next day to help with daily chores, school drop-off, and other family care. Dadi reassures Asha that her mama will feel better, "especially with our help." Her prediction is soon proven correct, and all is well for the family of four. Alam's illustrations, created with pencil and digital tools, use color to perfectly capture the changes in mood throughout: deeper dark blues elucidate Mama's sadness and give way to brighter yellows and greens as the grandmothers' assistance helps the family's life become much happier and more manageable. The family presents as Indian and enjoy sesame ladoo and milky chai; Mama and Nani have lighter skin tones than the rest of the family. An author's note provides more information on postpartum depression along with suggestions for supporting new parents and other resources. VERDICT This delicate and candid depiction of how postpartum depression affects the entire family is a recommended purchase.--Kerra Mazzariello

With frank sensitivity, PW contributor Makhijani and Alam explore a mother's postpartum depression through the eyes of a new big sister. When her parents return from the hospital with Baby Maya in tow, older sister Asha calls out excitedly, and subsequent pictures show the child sitting solo with the infant ("Asha kissed Baby Maya's toes. She sang to her"). But a page turn contrasts Asha's feelings of happiness with her mother's seeming sadness, and vignettes show the parent withdrawn from family life. When Mama confesses to Papa "I can't do this," Papa calls extended family--grandmothers Dadi and Nani--for help. Color functions as a narrative element across the fine-lined pencil and digital drawings of the South Asian family: yellow, orange, and spring green attend moments of love and connections, while grays and purples reflect Mama's depression. It's a compassionate, fully nonjudgmental portrait of loving and supportive care. An author's note concludes. Ages 5-8. (June)