Review Detail

A young girl is soothed by her mom with the words “you’re fine” whenever she’s having a rough time. The young girl finds that being fine has so many meanings such as being brave and speaking out, being proud of yourself, and much much more. She also realizes that “I’m fine” can also mean that things will be okay even if they don’t seem to be right now.

What I Liked: “I’m fine” are words that we are constantly hearing and don’t spend much time thinking about therefore it's refreshing to pause and see how much those words can carry. This take on the words “i’m fine” is a heartwarming story especially as we are taught those words might be falsely said but in this book the words are used as a comfort.

The illustrations throughout this book are simple and go along with the short sentences that are on each page. The illustrations do a fantastic job of adding to the story the words that are not said out loud. The scene in which the young girl sees her mother struggling uses darker tones to indicate that this is a heavy moment and the color shifts as the girl tells her mother “you’re fine”, making this a powerful moment in the story.

Final Verdict: Mama Says I’m Fine is a sweet story that highlights love and resilience through the lens of a mother-daughter relationship. Children ages 4 and up will enjoy seeing the various instances in which the girl’s mom is supporting her and also seeing how this exchange is equal as the young girl supports her mother.