reviews

Copley News Service:

"Author Odanaka, a mom who really skateboards, penned this hip tale at the perfect time. Skateboarding is incredibly popular among young children, boys especially. A great picture book for reluctant readers, Skateboard Mom begins when a boy receives a new skateboard for his eighth birthday. Before he can take it out for a spin, though, "...my mother whizzed by, popping an ollie on her very first try. She pulled off a spin so high in the air, it knocked all the curl right out of her hair."

Energetic text peppered with cool lingo make this awesome read a great wakeup call for kids who assume all parents are helplessly un-hip. In this tale, even Granny goes for a skateboard spin!"

--Lee Littlewood

Miami Herald:

What kind of mother do you have? Would she swipe the skateboard you got as a birthday gift and whiz away on it herself? That's what happens to the boy in Skateboard Mom by Barbara Odanaka, illustrated by JoAnn Adinolfi (G.P. Putnam's Sons, $15.99, ages 4 to 8), a delightful ode to the kid in every mom. This mom not only skates off with her son's board and helmet, she's a natural, ``popping an ollie on her very first try.'' The smart son quickly realizes he's never getting his board back and empties his piggy bank to buy another. Mom recognizes her goof and the story ends with a hug -- and her offer to teach her kid everything she knows.

--Sue Corbett

School Library Journal:

When an eight-year-old boy receives a skateboard as a birthday present, he also gets a big surprise. A gleam appears in his mother's eye and before he knows what's happening, she puts on a helmet and skips out the door to take a spin on his new set of wheels. As his friends look on aghast, Mom zips down the sidewalk and performs ollies and spins. When her son asks her to return his gift, she is so "skateboard crazed" that she does not reply. He tries to bargain with her but to no avail. At this point Dad explains that Mom is a skateboard champion: she even glided down the aisle at their wedding. The boy immediately knows what to do. He grabs his piggy bank, buys a skateboard for her, and asks her to teach him how to ride. They begin to roll away when Granny yells, "Stop!" and takes the youngster's board with a gleam in her eye. Done in gouache, watercolor, and colored pencils, the dynamic, quirky illustrations capture the energy and humor of this rhyming tale.