“I Can Do What Mommy Can Do” by Kitty Arceneaux

I Can Do What Mommy Can Do

Kitty Arceneaux (author) W. Smiley Isaac/SachiDesigns (illustrator)
Independently Published (2020)
ISBN: 979-8648733442
Reviewed by Tammy Ruggles for Reader Views (09/2022)

“I Can Do What Mommy Can Do” by Kitty Arceneaux, illustrated by W. Smiley Isaac and SachiDesigns, could be called the bookend to “I Can Do What Daddy Can Do” also by the same author and illustrator team. In this particular offering, we have four-year-old Tess, who looks up to her mother and wants to do the same things she does. The mom recognizes these times as teachable moments and also values the bonding time with her little girl.

Like its companion piece about daddies and sons, this book begins with Proverbs 22:6, which advises parents to teach a child in the ways he or she should go, so that when they’re older, they will remember the teachings and live by them. Both books have a “This Book Belongs To” page to show ownership. As in the “Daddy” book, this story begins with Tess observing her mom reading the newspaper, which prompts Tess to want to do the same. We follow Tess as she follows her mom through her daily routines, and we see how eager Tess is to follow in her footsteps, doing the tasks just like Logan did in the first book.

Arceneaux once again succeeds at bringing this soft but powerful message to readers of all ages: That children want to do what their parents are doing. So parents can take advantage of these teachable moments by setting good examples and explaining why it’s important to do things a certain way. This entertaining book, with its adorably drawn bunny characters, takes readers through a typical day with Tess and her mom, from folding laundry to making sandwiches, to using an iPad time and growing a business. And, like the first book with Logan and his dad, this one ends with Tess wanting to say bedtime prayers just like her mom. There are both similarities and differences in these two books, but both give the same message.

I rather enjoyed that the author captured the busy life of a working mother at home with her little girl, managing to fit in all that needs to be done. Anyone who has raised children while working can relate to this cute, realistic story.

“I Can Do What Mommy Can Do” by Kitty Arceneaux, is the perfect book for little girls and moms, but can also be enjoyed by boys and dads, because the message is timeless and crosses all kinds of parents and children.