Sometimes I wish my lad was still a younger version of himself. 🙂 I miss some of the things we did together when he was young, sharing art projects, reading all kinds of literature together, and just being silly. It was good you know? I’m not saying it’s not good now, just sometimes… sometimes I long for those younger days. 🙂 IF he was younger, Between Mom and Me: A mother & son keepsake journal would be a perfect book for us.
What I am Reviewing
Between Mom and Me: A mother & son keepsake journal.
Katie Clemons
Series: Let’s Celebrate Your Story
Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
144 pages, trade paperback, 8-13 years
Journal, family, mother, son, family connections
Reviewed for Raincoast Books.
A one-of-a-kind journal for the mother & son who crave a rule-free, creative way to connect with each other.Â
This engaging prompt journal is the perfect tool to build mother-son relationships. Kids can record memories, swap stories, compare perspectives, and explore common and unique interests with their moms! Interactive lists and letters back and forth invite both mom and son to reflect, write, and doodle about topics timely to their lives as kids, build self-confidence, and improve their penmanship.
What You Get:
I have to admit, I think it’s funny. The cover tells me that there’s no rules, and yet the start of the book has.. Rules! Granted, Mom and son get to make up their own rules, but rules are still there. 🙂
132 pages of this 144 page journal are devoted to pages for mom and son to work on. Pages vary drawing, writing, fill in the blanks, lists and colouring. Most of the pages are simply conversations. Mom and son getting to know each other better.
Could you have conversations without this journal? For sure, but sometimes having an outside influence helps you to have conversations you might not otherwise have. Talk about achievements, your history, surprise questions, money, puberty, wishes and dreams, school, love and more.
A variety of shapes and spaces to fill in. Conversation bubbles, frames and clouds. I really like how they break up the spaces and add a lot of variety.
My Recommendation
I really like the idea of this journal. I have a journal I started talking about me and my thoughts for the lad. Gramma started one for him. I would be fun to do one with the lad, as a keepsake for when he is older. BUT at age 13 he has zero interest in such things. To that end I think the age range for Between Mom & Me is a too broad. My son thinks it would be good for 7-10 year olds, maybe up to age 11. I agree with him.
I love the variation of topics and the encouragement to conversation provided. So many memories could be made.. or encouraged as you work your way through. Not every page would suit every mom/son combination, but most pages would be excellent.
This is just fabulous! My youngest would adore a book like this.