Dear Mom : A Review

Last spring we wrote about Daddy’s Little Girl, by Peter Wilson.  It’s not often one comes across a mother-son book , especially from the son’s perspective.  Today I’m pleased to bring you his newest release, “Dear Mom,”  just in time for Mother’s Day.

Dear Mom has a twist from the usual story books.  It’s written from the perspective of an adult man, writing a letter to his mother.  He reminisces about his time growing up and all of the ways his mother has been there for him, even (or especially) during the difficult stages of life.

As a teen I was moody, argumentative and adrift,

Pushing every boundary and exploring every risk.

Between friends, dates and parties, I left little time for you,

But when I needed you most, I knew that you’d come through.

As with Daddy’s Little Girl, this book is also a family affair with Peter’s aunt, Carol Matsuyama, as the illustrator.  Each picture is like a moment captured in time.  The beautiful illustrations are realistic and draw you into the story.  Carol has done a wonderful job of looking into the future to imagine what Peter will look like by combining how he looks now with how his father looks.  What an interesting job that must have been!  And how strange to see yourself drawn into the future!

Now that I am older, I’ve come to realize,

There’s nothing more important that the loved ones in our lives.

Years go by with the blink of an eye and then they’re gone forever,

So the time we’ve spent together, Mom, is something I’ll always treasure.

This is a very personal story for Peter to share with the world, but yet it’s applicable to most everyone.  It’s very emotional to read (or have it read to you by your own son) and reflect on it.

This is what Peter had to say about his beautiful book:

Dear Mom was a tribute to my mother and I gave it to her for Mother’s Day as a surprise.  All the illustrations in the book are based off of real pictures of my mother and myself throughout the years.  

The illustrator (my aunt) used my father as a reference when creating the pictures of me as an older man (older than I am now).   The dogs in the book are all dogs we’ve had in our lives.  My interest and love of music and dogs has been a life long affair and you’ll see that theme in the book (also in Daddy’s Little Girl).  

There are a number of quotes I built into the book that are actual quotes my mother has said to me throughout my life.  There are illustrations of our actual cottage and the distinctive trees on the property.  

The dedication in is something my mother used to say to me as a child.  Essentially the book is littered with elements of my life and relationship with my mother.  

After a year Kallista and Phil still often read “Daddy’s Little Girl” together, and I know that for many years Tristan and I will also be reading “Dear Mom.” together.  I absolutely love to cuddle up with Tristan and listen to him read.  It’s one of my very favourite things in the world.  It will be a very sad day when we won’t have this time together on a regular basis.

Dear Mom is a book for everyone.  Children will enjoy the rhyme, the illustrations, and the story.  Moms will enjoy spending time with their sons and will be able to understand the deeper meaning of the book.

There is a lot of wisdom in Dear Mom.  Peter’s Mom has some great advice, and Peter has been a wise son to have paid attention to his mom’s advice over time.  I don’t think he always listened at the time, but he’s taken her words to heart and reflected on them later.  Now he’s passing on what he’s learned to his family, as well as all of us.

Dear Mom is a book your son or Mother will cherish and pass down to their own children, or up to their Mom.  It would also be the perfect gift for Mother’s Day!

Peter will be doing some local (to him) Canadian book signings in the run up to Mother’s Day:

• Chapters Ajax: Saturday, May 2nd   12pm-2pm
• Chapters Milton: Sunday, May 3rd   12pm-4pm
• Chapters Scarborough: Saturday, May 9th  12pm-4pm

If you’d like more information about Dear Mom or Peter Wilson, you can connect with him through the Dear Mom website, (this is where you can purchase your very own copy) Facebook page, or YouTube.

If you’re looking for more ideas, try our Mother’s Day and Books and Book Activities pages.