My Military Mom

November 1, 2015

Gr 1-3-A new entry in a series that aims to celebrate family diversity. Connor is new to Miss Fish's second-grade classroom and is named Student of the Week, as his family just moved off base and into Lenny's neighborhood and school. Lenny, the class reporter, goes home with Connor for a playdate. After a string of recurring questions-for example, "How do you get home?," "Who helps with your homework?," and "What do you do for fun?"-readers learn that Connor's dad is a stay-at-home parent who takes care of Connor while his mom is on active duty in the Army. The tone of the narrative is humorous and friendly, and Lenny (as well as readers) are able to gauge a lot about Connor and his father's household. Persico's especially charming digital illustrations make the text bright, warm, and accessible. However, Connor's "Military Mom" appears only briefly as a blink on a computer screen on the last page of the book, to read her son a bedtime story. VERDICT An additional purchase for libraries looking for more family-themed picture books.-Brianne Colombo, Pequannock Township Public Library, NJ

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