[BOOK REVIEW] Mama Don't Allow by Thacher Hurd

Title:  Mama Don't Allow

Author:  Thacher Hurd


Genre: Animal / Music / Manners


Year Published: 1984


Year Read: 1998

Publisher:  HarperCollins

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (Some Intense Scenes)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

 “Mama Don’t Allow” is a jazzy book from the mind of Thacher Hurd, which is about how Miles and his Swamp band try to outwit a band of alligators that want them for dinner.  “Mama Don’t Allow” is a great book full of good lyrics that children will enjoy for many years.

 Thacher Hurd has done a great job at both illustrating and writing this book.  Thacher Hurd’s illustrations are colorful and beautiful, especially of the image of the swamp band going to the swamp and the alligators’ riverboat, which is extremely beautiful and colorful to look at.  Thacher Hurd’s writing is extremely creative as he explains Miles’ situation with his mother through a song that is extremely jazzy to listen to and the lyrics to the song “Mama Don’t Allow” is creative and bold as Miles states in the song that he will keep on playing his saxophone no matter what his mother says.

 “Mama Don’t Allow” is a great book for children who love to sing to various songs and the song will keep their feet stomping to the beat for as many times as they read this book.  I would recommend this book to children ages five and up due to scenes where the alligators wanted to eat the swamp band, which might worry smaller children.

Song Number:

 “Mama Don’t Allow no music playing around here!
Mama Don’t Allow no music playing around here!
Now, we don’t care what Mama don’t allow,
We’re gonna play that music anyhow!”