ALA Booklist (Fri May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

This marks the fourth appearance for Rosa, the girl who helped her mother and grandmother save up for a new chair in the Caldecott Honor Book A Chair for My Mother (1984). Now time has passed (though Rosa doesn't seem much older), and the chair, which was once such a prize, is now worn and stained. The stains come faster after Rosa's new cousin is born. The excitement of a baby on the way is the strong core of the story, but those with affection for the original will be pleased to see the chair brought back to a place of prominence, though there may be some anxiety about its fate. Even Grandma wants to replace it, but Rosa puts her foot down. "Don't you care about history?" she asks and vows the chair will be with her for as long as she lives. The bordered watercolors are full of memories as well as happy new events. In both art and text, Williams presents a just-right Rosa, who captures the intensity children can feel about what's important in their lives.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In this satisfying companion to Williams's Caldecott Honor book, <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">A Chair for My Mother, bighearted Rosa welcomes Benji, the son of her Aunt Ida, into the family—and into its beloved armchair splashed with roses. While a midwife delivers the baby upstairs, restless Rosa curls up in the chair (“Our chair is a lucky chair”) and contentedly imagines sharing her life with a young cousin. And when Rosa's mother and grandmother consider reupholstering or replacing the chair, she determinedly tells her mother that the chair must remain as is and that it will accompany her wherever she goes (Williams humorously illustrates her vow with an image of Rosa lugging the overstuffed piece of furniture on a mountain hike). Soft, brightly colored gouache art, hemmed in by borders that feature a cheery array of images and patterns, affectingly captures the close bond among family members as they celebrate a new arrival and an old friend: Rosa's treasured chair. The bustling scenes of family life that stuff the pages of this warm intergenerational story should prove irresistible. Ages 3–8. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(May)

School Library Journal Starred Review (Fri May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

Gr 2-4 In her fourth book about Rosa, Williams once again devises a tale filled with warmth and vitality. With Aunt Ida and Uncle Sandy living upstairs, the girl welcomes their newborn into the family. She participates in caring for Benji, and even plans for the fun they will have as he grows older. The story's central focus, however, is Rosa's beloved, velvet-rose-covered chair. Grandma suggests that the worn and stained fabric needs replacing, and her mother mentions buying a new one. Rosa puts down her foot. "Don't you even care about history?" she responds, reminding her mother how they bought the chair with saved dimes and quarters, and how it is now a part of the family. Even if she becomes president and moves to the White House, Rosa claims, the chair will go too. Her mother hugs her and replies, "Rosa, you sure do say the strangest things." Rich watercolor illustrations featuring the child and her extended family give a comfortable feeling to this heartfelt tale. In this national economic turndown, a story that emphasizes sharing with family and friends and realizing what is important in everyday life will be a welcome choice, and children who have loved Rosa before will find this book equally appealing Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA

Kirkus Reviews (Fri May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

Yes, good things do come to those who wait! It's been more than 25 years since A Chair for My Mother was published and won a 1983 Caldecott Honor. Now Rosa and the chair return. Two previous books about Rosa, Something Special for Me (1983) and Music, Music for Everyone (1984), follow the first but focus on her choosing a special birthday present and joining a band to earn money to help her mom when her grandmother is sick. In this companion story, Rosa waits for the birth of her baby cousin, who is being delivered at home by a midwife. The ingenuous text captures Rosa's excitement as she sits in her mother's chair and imagines Baby filling out her combo. After Baby Benji arrives, Grandma and Mama both suggest replacing the old chair, but Rosa demonstrates the staunch conservatism of the very young—"Don't you even care about history?"—and the role of the chair in this close family circle happily continues. As the narrative weaves all the stories together, Williams's inimitable gouache illustrations personalize the family members in this very satisfying tale. (Picture book. 4-8)

Horn Book (Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

Rosa anxiously awaits the birth of her cousin. She ruminates about how life is always changing: she'll grow up and move away from home. Through it all, one comforting constant will be her mother's red chair covered in roses. The soothing, rhythmic story is illustrated with vivid watercolors that display the family's warmth. Concurrently published in Spanish.