Written by I was drawn to the children’s book up for review today by the picture on the cover or, more specifically, the depiction of the woman on the right in the picture. She looks very much like a former co-worker. The resemblance is striking.
The book, In Our Mothers’ House
Here we have the illustrated story of a loving family, two lesbian moms and their three adopted children; a black girl (our narrator), an Asian boy and bouncing red headed baby girl. The story follows the family through life’s ups and downs (a nosy neighbor filled with hate) and watches as the children grow and mature in a world of mostly love and acceptance.
The subject matter is definitely on the mark with the present and Polacco does a great job presenting it. If you’re raising children in a “non-traditional” home or if you’re trying to teach your children about other families and about acceptance, this is a gem. And, at 48 pages, it’s not too long to bore the youngest ones but it’s detailed enough to satisfy older kids. It recommended for ages 6 and up but I don’t see anything wrong with reading it in bits to your 4 or 5 year old if they like to hear about families like theirs! Most of it is simple enough for the to get the general idea, even at that age.
