Always Mom, Forever Dad

May 1, 2014
Straight-up bibliotherapy delivered by a composite narrator whose parents live apart.Leaving out overt mention of same-sex parents but otherwise trying to be inclusive, Weber pairs eight smiling young children on adjacent spreads with similarly smiling adults of diverse mixed-and-matched skin color and facial markers. Seasons and settings differ, but in each case, the adults (who all live alone, from the evidence) are depicted sharing parallel activities with their child-baking or eating together, planning to call or send a drawing to the other parent, reading or telling stories-as the narrator delivers platitudes: "[Dad] says sometimes things fall apart so you can build something stronger than before"; "[M]om says changes can be hard but they can be exciting too." In the opening and closing scenes, the only two showing both parents (their hands, anyway) in the same frame, the child expresses a statement of belief in parental affirmations that he or she is and will always be loved.It covers the basics but far too simplistically to be as persuasive as, for instance, Claire Masurel and Kady MacDonald Denton's Two Homes (2001) or Tamara Schmitz's Standing on My Own Two Feet (2008). (Picture book. 5-9)

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September 1, 2014

K-Gr 2-The premise of this book is that children of divorce who must alternate between households are still surrounded by love. A variety of children from different ethnic backgrounds are depicted enjoying fun activities with one parent and then with the other. They bake together, stargaze, and hunt for tadpoles. When the children miss their other parent, the adult they are with encourages phone calls or sings songs that the other parent sang; connection with the non-present parent is never discouraged or disparaged. The simple and straightforward text would be comforting to a child faced with this situation. The illustrations are a bit stiff and have a slight greeting-card quality, and the colors sometimes cross the line from bright to garish. A serviceable addition for those in need of the subject matter.-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ

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