Mama, Do You Love Me? is the title of a wonderful children's book by Barbara M. Joose and illustrated by Barbara Lavalle. Joose says she wrote the book for her son Robby when he was two as a way to reassure him that no matter what he did, and no matter how he misbehaved, she would still love him.
The storyline is a young girl asking her mother if she loved her. The mother answers that she does love her daughter. The girl then brings up situation after situation where she misbehaves and even turns into other creatures, and is always reassured that while the mother might not like the girl's behaviour, and indeed might be angry and frightened at times by it, she would always love her daughter.
The book is set in the Arctic, and features clothing, food, and animals from that area. At the end of the book is a glossary, explaining a bit more about the things introduced in the book, such as mukluks and lemmings. The book introduces the Innuit culture in a gentle and entertaining way. Some of the pages feature masks based on ceremonial Innuit masks.
This is a wonderful book for reading aloud to young children at bedtime. The tempo of the book is soothing and poetic, and the message is loving and reassuring. The final line in the book is the best bedtime closing statement I've found to this day. "I will love you forever and for always, because you are my Dear One".
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