And you know what, the book is fine. Really rather sweet, I guess \u2013 and obviously it\u2019s struck a chord with my kid. But as many parents will know, reading to children, while important, can get pretty tedious, so you really start to appreciate the good books. As Eirlys Hunter wrote for The Spinoff<\/a> back in 2021, \u201cA good picture book text is bloody difficult to write. Their few words should read like poetry, paying attention to rhythm, assonance, sibilance and all the other language techniques. There must be a story, a reason for turning to the next page. But not a word too many, and each one should roll around the tongue and be a pleasure to say.\u201d<\/p>\n Mum\u2019s Busy Work is not terrible, not at all, but it\u2019s definitely not one of the rare gems. The lines are not pleasurable to say \u2013 even after reading the damn thing about a hundred times, I still stumbled over some of them. I also couldn\u2019t help but notice a lack of consistency in tense use and at least one typo (\u201cI asked Mum if it was day care day today\u201d \u2013 where\u2019s the \u201ca\u201d?). Having said that, I\u2019ve read much worse lines in any number of random picture books picked out by my child from the library, and Mum\u2019s Busy Work does have the benefit of being beautifully illustrated by Ruby Jones, best known for her \u201cThis is your home and you should have been safe here<\/a>\u201d illustration in response to the Christchurch mosque attacks. My child loves the pictures, poring over every tiny detail \u2013 \u201cHer pyjamas have hearts on!\u201d \u201cShe\u2019s got a yellow cup of tea!\u201d<\/p>\n As for the concept, I\u2019m in two minds. The guilty working mum trope is trite, but there is truth at its core. There\u2019s nothing groundbreaking in these pages \u2013\u00a0it could\u2019ve been written in the 90s, really \u2013\u00a0and the manosphere-dwelling turn-Arderners would have to look pretty hard to find any red flags as far as woke feminist indoctrination goes. While acknowledging that our \u201cunconventional\u201d household status<\/a> probably gives me an unrealistically optimistic view of how far families have progressed, I found the nod to Dad doing the laundry a little laboured and cringe, to be honest. In 2025, is that really out of the ordinary? Depressingly, maybe it is.\u00a0<\/p>\nJacinda Ardern walks up the steps of parliament with husband Clarke Gayford and their daughter Neve after the proclamation of accession ceremony to acknowledge King Charles III as the king of New Zealand in September 2022 (Photo: Fiona Goodall\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n