Mama Loved to Worry

$ 16.95

Author Maryann Weidt, Illustrations by Rachel Balsaitis

Minnesota Historical Society Press (April 1, 2016)

$16.95

A tall tale set on a midwestern farm, where, sure, there might be worries upon worries, but the best lesson is to share what you have and enjoy the folks you’re with.

Description

Life on Daisy Dell Farm can be worrying, and Mama is a world-class worrywart, earning the top prize at the Pickapeck County Fair. With summer’s volatile weather to watch, Mama’s attention is pulled in all directions. And then there’s Baby Eli, always getting into some sort of mischief. Like the day he climbed up the silo just as a twisty wind blew through; it scooped him up and set him down—safely—in the cow pasture. Whew! Imagine when the river runs high or the heat pops the corn in the field: Baby Eli will somehow get tangled up in whatever Mother Nature has to offer.

Mama channels her nervous energy into sewing and knitting and cooking, keeping all the family and livestock warm and well fed. Then, after yet another extended worrying session, Mama executes one more grand rescue of Baby Eli, and the predicament they find themselves in brings just what it should: not worry, but laughter. Lots and lots of laughter. Everything turns out fine, as it usually does, and what better way to celebrate than with all those well-dressed kin and critters, not to mention plates and plates of wonderfully tasty food? At some point, even Mama manages to say, “Why worry?”

Author information

Librarian Maryann Weidt is the author of several children’s books, including the Minnesota Book Award–winning Daddy Played Music for the Cows.

Rachael Balsaitis is a graphic designer and illustrator working in the Twin Cities.

Reviews and news

"This rollicking yarn rates a two hoots-and-a-half on a scale of three and will be laugh-out-loud fun for parents, grandparents, and wee ones."
Lake Superior Magazine

"There isn’t a kid in the world who doesn’t love exaggeration in a story, and author Maryann Weidt gives it with this rib-tickler that gets taller and taller as the tale goes on. The language in this book will really make you grin, but what’s even better are the illustrations by Rachael Balsaitis. She gives this book a home-spun feel of a gentler time when laundry hung outside to dry, the waterin’ hole was a right-fine place to swim, and summer never ended.

This book is a knee-slappin’, leg-pullin’ passel of fun for 5-to-8-year-olds, or anybody who knows how to spin a tale a mile high. And if that’s either of you, then “Mama Loved to Worry” could be huge."
"The Bookworm Sez", widely syndicated column including the Portage Daily Register

Kirkus Reviews