"Ohhh, Mommy."

It was the '60s.

Connie, co-owner of Morgan Hill Bookstore in New London, New Hampshire, was getting ready to go out for the evening. She was at the top of the stairs in her home wearing a beautiful caftan (remember that it's the '60s). Her three-year-old son was climbing the stairs. When he saw his mom, he exclaimed, "Ohhh, Mommy."

When Connie was reading MY MOTHER IS SO SMART, she was reminded of that moment with her son.

"My mother is so smart, she can change into a movie star when she and my father go out at night."

Text Copyright 2010 by Tomie dePaola. From MY MOTHER IS SO SMART, published by G. P. Putnam's Sons.