Behind the Book: Mama Says I'm Fine, illustrated by Tamisha Anthony
last updated 05 May 2026
To celebrate the release of Mama Says I’m Fine, illustrator Tamisha Anthony chats with us about how her connection and relationship with her mother and grandmother inspired the illustrations in this new heartwarming picture-book that captures the unconditional love between a mother and her child.
Mama Says I’m Fine, is available now! Written by Brittney Cooper, illustrated by Tamisha Anthony, and published by Scholastic.
“Tamisha’s relationship with her mother is such a delight to behold and it’s evident this picture book reflects the joy she experiences with her mother and grandmother.” - Anne Moore Armstrong, Tamisha’s agent.
The phrase “you’re fine” carries many meanings throughout the story. How did you visually represent those emotional shifts across the book?
The best way to show this is through the images. I’ll give you a few shots. But it’s the day-to-day routines of a parent and child, such as afternoon school pickup, or morning time hair styling, or shopping for groceries. It’s not any particularly exceptional moments where a child needs to know their fine. It’s in the day-to-day moments, the small hardships, because if they know they’re fine in those, they know they can handle the bigger things to come.
The book centers on a powerful mother-daughter relationship. Did any personal experiences influence how you illustrated their connection?
My mom has always been the person that helped to lift me up when I don’t believe in myself, or when I’m scared or unsure. She always has that power. She may say only a few words, it may just be a look, or she may have a whole stream of words, but she’s always able to get me back on the path that I need to be on. I saw that when reading this manuscript. I saw a little girl who loved her mama so, just like I love my mama so much. I saw that they had a special relationship because it was just the two of them, just like it was for me and my mama for part of my childhood. And I saw how much the mama in the book loved, supported, and went above and beyond for her baby, just like my mama did for me, and still does for me. And I love that at the end it comes full circle, where the little girl gives back to her mama what she was taught. I try to do that for my mama now too.
Did any specific scene or image feel especially meaningful for you to illustrate?
Throughout this book, I was intentional in including certain motifs that are important in my relationship with my mom, and with my Big Mama. For my mom, I included the love of tea – the ceremony of making and drinking tea for tranquility and connection. My mom always had a pattern, a habit, of making hot tea in the evenings and settling down with a good book, and with lovely lighting. And I was drawn to that practice. I saw her having the delicious tea, and I wanted my own cup, and my brother joined in too. It became a nightly practice where sometimes the whole family would be sitting in the same room together, all with their own books, drinking their tea in delightful peace and togetherness. Although I’m busier and don’t get to do it as much, it’s still one of my favorite pastimes, it brings me so much peace. So it’s a beauty I want to share between this mother and daughter because of my experience.
And for my grandmother, I included motifs of floral patterns. My Big Mama had a very special relationship with all living things, and especially with plants. She had a gorgeous garden, and houseplants everywhere. As a child I thought it was wondrous. During the summer when I’d stay with her, I’d follow her around first thing in the morning as she watered her plants, talked to them, and although she didn’t have a great singing voice, she sang to them too! She always told me that they liked that and it helped them grow. I found myself admiring the connection and love she had for her plants. It helped me to understand that love wasn’t only for other people, it’s for the beauty that fills the world too. And I wanted the world in Mama Says I’m Fine to be surrounded by love and beauty through the environment. I wanted it to encapsulate the beauty and love that my Big Mama shared and passed on to me. In a way, I wanted to pass that on to others in this book.
Were there particular scenes that felt especially important for capturing the emotional core of the story?
Yes, I felt there was a beautiful rhythmic buildup to the scene of the daughter writing out her affirmations on the sidewalk. That not only is she fine, but she’s beautiful, she’s strong, she’s all these things and more that her mother has told her. I wanted that spread to be graphic and bold, but still holding a childlike expression through the simplicity and playfulness of sidewalk chalk, this everyday medium that children really just use all the time.
What does it mean to you to contribute visually to a story that reminds children they are “enough”?
This is really my whole mission in life and in my art. Not only for children, but for adults and all people to know that they are enough. Not only do they deserve kindness from others, but they deserve kindness from themselves. So this means everything to me. I can’t imagine not having a family or partner who did not lift me up. I wouldn’t be where I am in life without them telling me that I’m “fine.” That I can do anything that my little heart dreams. I wish I could tell every child that. I’m glad I could share that in a book, and hopefully in many books to come!
Mama Says I’m Fine, is available in bookshops now. Written by Brittney Cooper, illustrated by Tamisha Anthony, and published by Scholastic. Tamisha Anthony is represented by Anne Moore Armstrong. To work with Tamisha, get in touch with Anne, here.