When Mommy Goes
A-Marching is a rhymed
children’s picture book about deployment, with computer art illustrations done
from photographs taken in Illinois and Iraq, while the author’s niece served
overseas and her three-year-old son stayed on his grandparents’ farm.
Hardback, soft bound and
ebook available from Guardian Angel
Hardback and soft bound
available from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=when%20mommy%20goes%20a-marching&sprefix=when+%2Cstripbooks
Hardback available from
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Author’s Note: The title
and idea for When Mommy Goes A-Marching came from my sister
Becky, who had been going through old photos and emails, reliving the months
when her daughter Missy was deployed to Iraq and Becky was caring for Missy’s
three-year-old son Mikey. I was about to publish two books on the
Civil War and was searching for my next writing project, and I believed that
Becky’s dream of a book for Mikey would benefit other families going through
the same experience.
Deployment—before,
during, and especially after—is a stressful time for soldiers, families, and
caregivers. Books like I Miss You!: A Military Kid’s Book About
Deployment by Beth Andrews, multiple websites, and organizations like
FRG’s (Family Readiness Groups) offer advice and support for military
families. My niece was in college when she joined the Illinois National
Guard, went through training, and soon received word that her unit would be
deployed. Although she had to drop her classes, Missy was doubly
fortunate in that her parents were available as caregivers, and they lived
close enough for Mikey to keep attending his same daycare center, where Becky
worked as the cook.
This was not the first
time my sister had provided service-related guardianship; Becky had cared for
our brother Larry’s son Christopher when Larry was stationed overseas.
When Christopher stayed with his Aunt Becky, he looked forward to hearing his
daddy’s voice in phone calls placed as frequently as possible. Changes in
technology allowed Mikey the huge, added comfort of actually seeing
his mother when they spoke via webcam. Missy sent photos, Arabic color
books, and foreign currency, and the toy camels mentioned in the book were a
big hit at preschool show-and-tell.
More importantly, she
and Mikey shared stories, and Missy could make requests for future care
packages that he helped send from home. (The post office can tell you
what items are allowed to be sent to overseas military personnel and what items
are considered contraband.) Packages to Missy included inexpensive toys
like sets of plastic animals and small cars, which were eagerly received by the
local children. One of her most touching photos is of a smiling young boy
with his new treasure.
Shows of local support
are evident in Becky’s albums, from the farewell party pictures to the welcome
home banners stretched across the interstate overpass. (A local
A.B.A.T.E. chapter adopted Missy, and one photo shows Mikey on a motorcycle,
parked near the milking parlor in the driveway of his grandma and grandpa’s
farm.) The computer art illustrations in this book are based on Missy and
Becky’s photos. While When Mommy Goes A-Marching is
Mikey’s book, it is ultimately a story of three generations coping as best they
could under the circumstances. The stress of Missy’s deployment was only
magnified when one of her bunkmates was killed by a roadside bomb. I felt
it important to address the subject of loss but I wrote the text so that it can
be interpreted and discussed on multiple levels. Loss includes
separation, by circumstances like rotation or transfer. Loss comes from
cutting ties—the severance that occurs when someone chooses to end a
friendship. The passage can be used, if needed, to discuss the subject of
death.
Our family members have
served in the militia and military from Colonial times through today, in all
branches of service. The technology of war has changed but I am certain
that one thing remains the same: a soldier prays the most for peace.
Blurbs: When
Mommy Goes A-Marching by Anita Quick
“My brother Brad is in
the army, my daughter Sara is in the Air Reserves with prior service in the Air
Force, and my youngest son Jarod is in the Army. All three have served at least
one stint in Iraq, and Brad and Sara have served in Afghanistan. Jarod has
a daughter that was born three months before he deployed. Sara has two
daughters; the oldest was three when she went overseas. It is really hard
on all the family as well as the soldier when they are deployed for training or
service, but I have always felt it was harder on the kids. I LOVE the
idea of your book and the fact that it states the grandson was angry.
Children are told to be proud and brave while their parent is gone, but it is
really hard when they don't understand why they left, or what war is, or what
military service demands. Your book is another tool for a parent to use
to comfort their child(ren) left at home. I would love to see more like
it for the older kiddos also! Great job!!!!!!!”
~ Cathy Small
Quick’s “When Mommy Goes
A-Marching” creates an opportunity for families, both military and civilian, to
talk about the impact of deployment. The absence of a parent and the losses
that could occur are brought to light sensitively. The book provides
families a platform from which to launch serious discussions about the effects
of military conflict. It gives children a way to voice the “big feelings”
that accompany a parent’s absence and return to their families. Quick’s
actual photographs make the fact of military service a reality for all of us.
~ Margaret Campbell Davis, Licensed Clinical Social
Worker
Reviews:
Review by Penelope Anne Cole on December 22, 2014: Children
and families affected by military service and deployment.
Anita Quick has written
a moving and timely children’s book on an important topic: parents in uniform,
especially mothers, in service to our country. In "When Mommy Goes
A-Marching" we see military service through the eyes and experience of a
boy. He sees his mother in her uniform leaving for deployment. We say
deployment, but it would be just as accurate to say going to a war zone. There
is danger as well as the daily duty that the military perform when deployed and
working anywhere in the world.
The story is told in simple rhymes that children can easily relate to. Mikey stays at his grandpa’s farm and continues to attend his preschool, so the family tries to keep his life as normal as possible. In past times, children had to wait for letters, tapes, or phone calls from deployed parents. In today’s high tech world, Mikey can actually see his mother via webcam communication. It’s much more personal and satisfying. His mother shares some of her experiences in her military life. She also sends her son a toy camel, foreign money, and an Arabic coloring book. In return, he and his grandparents sent care packages, family photos, and toys for local children in Iraq.
This is a personal story, but one that is shared by many families who are faced with separation from a military family member. They all have the same stress, anxieties, and concerns. Sharing them in this way is helpful. As is finding support groups to make it through the hard times. This book will help others know they’re not alone and also that we support them. Recommended for ages 3 to 6.
The story is told in simple rhymes that children can easily relate to. Mikey stays at his grandpa’s farm and continues to attend his preschool, so the family tries to keep his life as normal as possible. In past times, children had to wait for letters, tapes, or phone calls from deployed parents. In today’s high tech world, Mikey can actually see his mother via webcam communication. It’s much more personal and satisfying. His mother shares some of her experiences in her military life. She also sends her son a toy camel, foreign money, and an Arabic coloring book. In return, he and his grandparents sent care packages, family photos, and toys for local children in Iraq.
This is a personal story, but one that is shared by many families who are faced with separation from a military family member. They all have the same stress, anxieties, and concerns. Sharing them in this way is helpful. As is finding support groups to make it through the hard times. This book will help others know they’re not alone and also that we support them. Recommended for ages 3 to 6.
Review by Janet Ann Collins on December 27, 2014: MUCH
NEEDED BOOK
I've never before seen a book like this, and it's much needed.
When Mommy Goes A-Marching is about a little kid whose mother is deployed overseas. As the Author's Note at the end explains, the boy's mother was a college student in the National Guard when she was deployed overseas and had to drop out of college and leave her son with his grandparents.
The young boy in the photos is a family member of the author.
This picture book is for young children and shows how the child is able to cope and connect with his mother as much as possible through things like Skype.
Most of the book is in rhyme, which is well done and not forced at all.
There are probably a lot of children in similar situations and this book will help them understand and adjust to having their mothers gone away. Probably kids with fathers in the military will also be helped by this positive story.