MaMa in the Holler

A nicely rhymed love letter from a girl to her grandma, as she spends time on the old girl's farmstead, doing some light chores, admiring her scent, her breadmaking, her grace, her voice, and the memories already firmly fixed of their time together, that may not be lasting that much further. Practically we get a visual and a four-line verse per page, with little variance in that, and while the illustrations look quite home-package CGI, they're certainly not bad. I still think this would be better received in parts of the world that actually know what a holler is without looking it up, but generally this is four-star material.

A cute, nostalgic story about a visit to a cherished grandparent out in the backwoods.
The main character has an adventure explaining the way her grandmother lives. It was nice to see some old memories brought back to light with this story.

A sweet, rhyming tale of a little girl enjoying time with her MaMa. The cadence is nice and lyrical. The story sweet and simple. Would be a great resource to help explain to children to enjoy time with their grandparents because may not always be there.

This is a sweet book about a girl spending time with her MaMa living her life using old technology such as a woodstove and doing laundry by hand. My children love antiques and learning about how things were done in the past. This book shows how some of those things are used and I think it will be a fun way to learn about them!

Honestly, i oove the story. The illustration was nice. The words are easy to understand so the kids can read it with parents. Can read aloud with them before going to bed. Its a heartwarming and cute story about mama at the holler. A must read for 2024!

This is love letter from a grandchild to her beloved grandmother. The little girl visits her grandma on the farm, and cherishes the time that she spends with her.

The girl describes not only the routine tasks that make up her grandmother's day, but also the special moments when they spend time together and share stories.

The illustrations are cute, but I would have liked a more detailed explanation of the term "holler". Guessing it is a country term for a farm but it's origins sound interesting!

This is a wholesome book, if not particularly exciting. I am not entirely sure about the age group this is meant for. The activities described may be sufficient to keep young children's interest engaged, but the references to "reminiscences" and eventual mortality may not be ideal for that age group.

The story is told in rhyming words, which is done well. It gets 3.5 stars.

A little blonde girl rejoices in her time spent with MaMa (Appalachian for grandmother) during the summer. Her grandmother still has a woodstove and an old-fashioned wringer washer, placing this picture book in the long ago. I enjoyed Hope Smith’s illustrations more than Jaime McKoy’s clunky rhymes; I would have preferred prose to the inelegant poetry. That said, the book is a wonderful window for any child — be it Appalachia, the Ozarks or other areas of White poverty — to an earlier, less frantic time.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Vinspire Publishing in exchange for an honest review.