I enjoyed the graphic novel a lot!
I would like to thank the publisher for giving me a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

We loved this book. The colours and illustrations are perfect, as is the message...we'll be reading this again and again

As a mother of a toddler I really appreciate the message that was being conveyed. I enjoyed that it showed moms being real. They had hairy legs, dirty clothes, and were honest about being tired.

I wish there was a little bit more to it. It was cute and geared more towards moms as a book to read to their kids. The flow and rhythm of the text just seemed a little off to me. I couldn’t quite “feel” the flow. I wish that the storyline had just a few more scenarios and relatable messages.

I just want to say that the message of this book is so true and refreshing! I am a mother of two girls and this is one thing they always forget; mama gets tired and needs a minute. I think this is a great gift for a new/first time mom. I will be sure to include this book in the future.

Cute and fun read, something anyone who has been a parent to a small child could relate to. Loved the art that went along with the illustrations, the pops of color were a nice touch.

Mama needs a minute is really a cute little story perfect for mothers and babies. I am a mother of a 5 months baby and I felt this story. Every mother needs a break time to time and they still love their babies. I know the little ones need us but mummy time is important for a good relationship.
Thank you NetGalley for this sweet eArc.

I love books that give moms props. This one was one of the greatest I’ve seen! Adorable illustrations and a realness that any mom could relate to.

I found myself chuckling along with the simple story and smiling as I pictured myself hiding for those few Stolen moments alone to shave my legs or to pee in silence before the kids realize that I’ve snuck off.

A book for moms who love their children fiercely but honestly still need a few minutes alone. Probably the moms who regularly cuss silently under their breaths. (I am that mom)

Can we get a series for real parent feelings. I would read the heck out of that!

There is so much that could be improved in this board book. I requested it after reading a Goodreads friend's rather scathing review of it (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), curious what my take would be. I have to say that I agree with all of her criticisms, but also have additional ones.

Yes, it is perplexing that a board book (whose audience is generally babies and toddlers) has a message of the necessity to put your needs aside for your mother, who wants to have time to shave her legs and use her laptop. I also agree that I cringed to see the mother using her laptop with her child using her own computer on the floor with the text saying that she knows her child needs to "explore the world." This message would be so much better if the child was in nature or playing with toys and they weren't both using electronics.

But it was the poetry that had me even more bothered. The meter, rhyme, flow... It was just not the quality I would expect in a published children's book.

Excerpt:

I'll be there when the sun shines its first light.
I'll make you those funny pancakes you like.
And during story time, I'll hold you tight.
But... this mama needs a minute.

Just a quiet moment or two
is all I ask from you.
It doesn't mean I love you less.
Sometimes it just means mama needs to get dressed.

I'm guessing that the audience for this book might be mothers with chronic pain and illness, which is a huge demographic right now (and which described me in my 30's). I think they'll relate to this mother, who has to lie down while playing because her body gets sore in one spread. If you read the book through that lens, it's not as selfish seeming as it could be otherwise. But yeah, I'm just not sure why there's a need for a board book about leaving mommy alone.

Yes, mothers need time to themselves. I'm a mama of five so I can certainly attest to this. But I'm not sure I ever felt the need to read my very young children board books about giving me more time to myself. And if so, I at least wish the editors would have improved upon the poetry. This would make a really clunky book to read to young children, making it even less appealing to them.

Ultimately, I try to pick books for my children that they would ask to read again and again. They should have fun or beautiful artwork, loving or fun messages that they want to hear again and again, lyrical text... I can't see any child actually wanting to listen to this book. Instead, this seems marketed as moms who want to read it to them. That seems like a pretty big miss for a board book to me.

One book with a somewhat similar message that I think did a better job of it is Five Minutes Peace (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...), where a mama elephant keeps trying to get five minutes peace while her children interrupt her wanting to play flute music, complain about each other, read aloud to her and so on. My kids saw the humor in it and also related a bit, making it a cute little read for us all. None of us love it, but I'd recommend it over this one because it has some humor and sweet illustrations. Llama Llama Misses Mama is another with a similar theme, about waiting a few minutes sometimes for mama to finish a phone call or get upstairs. This one, however, didn't do much for me.

Two stars -- It was okay.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.

This is a board book aimed, not at kids, but at their entitled Millennial mothers. It's the kind of thing they might give each other to show solidarity, when they're whining about how they never get any time to themselves because that darn infant wants to eat again. I mean... how dare it have needs?

I'm struggling with this because I can't figure out the audience. It's marketed as a children's book, but it's not. It's a board book, which means it's aimed at babies and toddlers... who aren't going to give a crap if Mama is tired or needs to shave her legs or wants to update her Instagram with pictures of Junior's diarrhea. The actual intended audience, I suspect, is children who are old enough that they're beginning to understand that other people have needs. Unfortunately, by that age, they're probably not going to be interested in board books.

I'm also really put off by one of the spreads that shows a mother and child both on their respective laptops, with the mother saying she can see that the kid needs "some time to explore the world" on her own. No, Mama just wants to get her social media fix without having to deal with her kid for five minutes, so she engages the electronic babysitter. (This issue really gets my goat. I feel so sorry for kids today having to compete with electronic devices for their parents' attention. It reminds me of a time recently I was on a ferry and a little boy was playing nicely with his LEGO... until he started getting really annoying. To be fair, it wasn't his fault. The "Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom" just kept going unanswered because his mother--who was sitting right beside him--couldn't look up from her phone for two seconds.)

This book needs to be marketed to adults. It's not a children's book. Thinking something like this is going to magically make babies and toddlers say, "Gee, maybe I need to stop complaining about this wet diaper because Mom looks a bit overwhelmed," is unrealistic and bordering on the delusional. Amp up the humour and market it as a gag gift for new moms. As a children's book, it doesn't work.

I've been a big fan of Nicole's art, message, and support for other Moms for a long time. My girls and I enjoy her first book, and her next one does not disappoint. Can't wait until it is released so I can buy a physical copy! (ARC provided via NetGalley; Opinions are mine)

This book is so cute. It is such a great reminder to kids that their mothers are people with needs too. I was already a huge fan of Nicole Sloan's art and messaging going into this, so I knew it would be a perfect match for my family. My kids really enjoyed the verse and wordplay of the book and the short length.

This board book shares the message from mom to child that "hey, I love you, Little One, and enjoy spending time with you. I also need to have a quiet moment for myself, and that's OK." The message is just as important for caregivers (moms, dads, whomever) to understand as it is for their kiddo.

The illustration style is whimsical. The text is in rhyme, and it works but I'd prefer the language to be a little tighter.

Recommended for new parents to read to their small kids.