Our Mothers' Names: Love in Many Languages

4.3

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Author(s)

Uma Menon

Co-Authors / Illustrators

Rahele Jomepour Bell

Publisher

Candlewick

Genre(s)

Children's Parents Books

Age Range

Release Date

April 22, 2025

ISBN

978-1536222500

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How many ways are there to say mother? A bilingual child investigates in this joyful picture-book exploration from the creators of My Mother’s Tongues.

“Thank you, Amma,” says the child as her mother praises a birdhouse she’s making with her friend Angelina. With two languages spoken at home, English and Malayalam (the most common language in Kerala, India, where her parents and grandparents were born), Amma is a word the child uses for her Indian-American mom. But Angelina, whose family is from Mexico City, says that her mother is called Mamá. And there are so many other names for mother! Thea’s mother is Greek and known as Mana. Francisco’s family is from Brazil, where moms answer to Mãe. Aliya is fluent in Arabic, whose word for mother is Umma. . . . With just a peek at the many ways to say mother among the world’s thousands of languages, the author and illustrator behind My Mother’s Tongues have fashioned another love letter to family bonds and heritage, another salute to multilingualism for a world that grows smaller and more connected day by day.

Editor review

1 review

Exploring other Cultures through Language

September 06, 2025 (Updated: June 06, 2026)

Overall rating

4.3

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

5.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

Amma is the word for mother in Malayalam, which is the word that the main character uses for her Indian-American mom. Angelina, the child’s friend, calls her mother Mamá, as that is the term for mother in Mexico City, where she is from. The child then goes on to share all the other names for mothers. Her friend, who is Greek, Thea, calls her mother Mana, and Francisco, who comes from Brazil, calls his mother Mãe. We then go around the world to learn more ways to refer to your mother and learn that regardless of the term that is used, mother will always be your mother.

What I Liked: This book opens with the main character telling you about her mom, Amma, as she plays with her friend Angelina, who is curious about the word that the other child has used. The main character explains that the word Amma means mother in Malayalam, and then she goes on to share what terms her other friends use to refer to their mothers. She continues, explaining that in other parts of the country, different words are used, to conclude that even when other words are used, mom is still mom.

The illustrations do a great job of introducing you to various places around the world and immersing you in the culture of those places. Not only are you learning the word for mother in many languages, you are also getting a glimpse at the relationship between mothers and their children in various places around the world. This book highlights various cultures and does a great job showcasing to young children the diversity that is in the world, and how vast language is. This book also highlights that we may have some differences, but there are also similarities in things such as who our moms are to us.

Final Verdict: Our Mothers’ Names is a delightful book for children ages 4 and up to learn about different cultures and the word for mother in various languages. This book does a great job at highlighting the similarities between mothers across the world, even when the words we use for our moms might be different. Children will enjoy learning the new terms for mother and sharing the words that they use in their families for mom.