“de Sève expertly depicts the mama bear as a loving caregiver who, with wisdom and encouragement, guides the baby bear from above, though she allows the little one the freedom to make mistakes and even get a bit roughed up along the way. And what follows is a tasty reward: the baby bear obtains its purple plum. Gardiner’s illustrations mirror the text’s soft elegance with a muted palette full of tans, lavenders, and deep browns. A meaningful and tender tale of learning through experience.”

“Sanguine Mama doesn’t minimize the cub’s anxieties, reiterating the idea that “sometimes we wobble” and also that “it’s okay.” Finally, the cub climbs, reaches for a plum, and falls—Gardiner catches the endearingly ungraceful tumble in midair— but a plum drops, too, and one taste is motivation enough for the cub to dust off and try again. The spare text’s voices—Mama’s is soothing, the cub’s more apprehensive—honor the duo’s differing points of view, while gouache and colored pencil art with elegant shapes and subtle earth tones offer lovely, ongoing visual consolation and comfort.”