A MOM FOR UMANDE Blog Tour
The heart-tugging true story of how a baby gorilla found love in
the arms of a surrogate mom.
When Umande was born, his mother didn’t know how to take care of
him. So, he was hand-reared by keepers at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado
Springs. For eight months, the keepers crawled on the ground with him to show
him how to walk; coughed in his face to teach him discipline; and gave him
happy gorilla grumbles to encourage him. But for Umande, something was still
missing. Luckily, a thousand miles away at the Columbus Zoo, a mom was waiting
just for him.
This touching true story about finding a family will resonate
with animal lovers and adoptive families alike.
Illustrated by
Susan Kathleen Hartung
Maria
Faulconer has published fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. She
loves writing stories, especially ones that tug at the heartstrings.
A huge animal lover, and an adoptive mom herself, she knew when she saw a photo
of a baby gorilla snuggling with his surrogate mom that she had to tell their
story – A Mom for Umande. Her first children’s
book, Arianna and the Strawberry Tea, was used for a statewide
literacy program. She currently writes for Colorado Springs
Style magazine and is working on a YA novel. She lives in Colorado
with her husband and two children.
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***My Personal Review***
A Mom For Umande caught me after just seeing the front of the book :) I could tell that it was definitely going to be a story about the love between a mother and child, and that is something that I always love to read. What I didn't realize was that the mother in the story was NOT Umande's biological mother and it really displays the love and affection that both humans and other animals can have for each other. I love the relationship between the girl and Umande but when he meets Lulu it just made me cry so much! I am a sucker for a love story and this is the best possible love story ever! Heartwarming and beautiful, I recommend this for any age even though it is a childrens book. But it teaches children that they are worthy of love and affection whether it is from their biological family or adopted - it doesn't matter. The illustrations in this book are absolutely amazing - to me they resemble colored chalk drawings but they are so intricate and really bring the story home. I received a complimentary ebook to review.
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GIVEAWAY
Winner will receive a gift basket that includes a $50 Amazon gift card,
a copy of A MOM FOR UMANDE, a stuffed baby gorilla, a gorilla zoo book, a
miniature wooden zoo train set, Gummi Bears, and rock candy!
TOUR SCHEDULE
Monday,
January 12th - Geo Librarian
Tuesday,
January 13th - A Book and a Latte
Wednesday,
January 14th - Bumbles and Fairy-Tales
Friday,
January 16th - In Between the Pages
Monday,
January 19th - Such a Novel Idea
Wednesday,
January 21st - Mundie Kids
Friday,
January 23rd - Adoption Mama
Monday,
January 26th - WS Momma Readers Nook
Wednesday,
January 28th - A Leisure Moment
Friday, January 30th - Historical Fiction
Obsession
This looks like a great book. My granddaughter would enjoy it I'm sure. She is a huge animal lover and this would be perfect for her. Thank you for the opportunity!
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