This was the most beautiful children’s book I have seen in a long time. This story really touched home with me and I was so happy to share it with my children, and anyone who would listen. As the little girl visits her grandma we learn all the things that make grandma and where she lives so special. This story reminded me of my family and the things I miss from my grandmothers. Especially cooking on the old wood stove and making sawmill gravy. Talk about creating some emotions. This book really got to me. My children loved hearing the story and we talked about what they love at their grandparents home. Like the book tells us we know how much they love us and we can’t wait to see them again. McKoy did a wonderful job telling this adventure from the little girl's thoughts and what she sees. The illustrations were vibrant and so lifelike, reminding me of even more memories. I highly recommend this story to all families to share. I received this as an ARC but we will be buying it to add to our library at home and our grandparents home to read together.

I really like the idea of MaMa in the Holler, especially with the idea of maybe exploring Appalachia for younger kids. However, what we get is clunky rhyming and some digitally created illustrations that don't really do much other than just talk about the main's grandmother and how she goes about her daily life. It would have been better with nicer illustrations or with nicer prose/poetry and story.

A cute story about old time country life. Not super relatable to kids today.
I think that the author might want to reiterate that in this story MaMa is actually the grandmother. For the first part of the story I was trying to figure out why the mom had gray hair and trouble getting around.
Upon reading the blurb on the back I saw it, but otherwise it seems the child is calling her mother (which all southern kids call mama) old.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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 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!

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.

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 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.

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 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.