Stay Close to Mama

“Readers and their parents will instantly see themselves in this loving but ongoing conflict over the need to explore and the need to protect, and they’ll undoubtedly find the two characters adorable and reassuring.”–Publishers Weekly“Wohnoutka’s large, almost impressionistic paintings grant a rich glimpse of the broad savanna and its denizens.”–School Library Journal“Written with a storyteller’s ear for cadence and repetition, the text has a sense of immediacy. Nicely composed and pleasing in their use of rounded forms and line, the broad double-page illustrations show up well from a distance. A good choice for reading aloud.”–Booklist

Toni Buzzeo is a children’s book author and reviewer and retired school library media specialist. She speaks at national, state, and regional library and reading conferences and does author visits at schools across the country. Among her many books are My Bibi Always Remembers and Just Like My Papa, companions to this book, and the Caldecott Honor-winning and New York Times bestselling One Cool Friend, illustrated by David Small. She lives in Massachusetts and invites you to visit her online at tonibuzzeo.com.

Mike Wohnoutka grew up in Spicer, Minnesota. His dad, an engineer, would bring home reams of paper with highway plans on one side. Mike filled the blank side of the sheets with drawings of race cars, snowmobiles, baseball players, superheroes, everything he was interested in. In high school, his art teacher encouraged him to pursue art as a career. He graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a B.F.A. in illustration. Mike has published books with Random House, Dutton, Clarion, and Holiday House. He enjoys visiting schools and talking to students about illustrating children’s books. He currently resides in Minneapolis with his wife and two children, and he invites you to visit him online at mikewohnoutka.com.