IN OUR MOTHER'S HOUSE

Polacco, Patricia. In Our Mothers' House. New York: Philomel, 2009. ISBN 978-0-399-25076-7.

PLOT SUMMARY:
An adopted African American girl tells the story of her unique family. Her family is made of of herself, adopted Asian American brother Will, adopted redhead sister Millie and their two mothers. Their childhood and family life is shown, along with the love of their two mothers, the acceptance of them by most people and the dislike of them by one neighbor. Years later all of the grown children return to their mothers' house as married adults. After their mothers' death, Will and his family move into the house so there is still a gathering place for all of the families to come together.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

In classic Patricia Polacco style, the story is gentle, flowing, and heartwarming. Without mentioning gays or homosexuality directly, Polacco shows young children that families can be different. By focusing on the love the moms have towards each other and their family, readers will see that families are more alike than different.

While most of the community supports this loving family (setting is in progressive Berkeley, California), one neighbor, Mrs. Lockner shows obvious dislike for the family. Without any confrontation, her face, the way she stands with her arms crossed, and the way they pulled their children away, her feelings are obvious. Rather than voicing why the Lockner's don't like them, Polacco leaves it to the reader to discover. The Lockner's children do seem to like the family as they help to build the treehouse (before their parents pull them away) and they happily accept the invitation the block party, so hopefully the cycle of ignorance will be broken.

The illustrations are rendered in colored pencils and markers and show the bustling, busy happy family. The two moms, Marmee and Meema are shown with their physical differences and their different personalities. Readers will likely recognize some familiar traits in either or both moms with their own families.

REVIEW EXCERPTS:

Library Media Connection:
The writing style is truly Polacco and the colorful illustrations are warm and loving. This is a strong and memorable story of a peaceful, devoted family unit.

School Library Journal:
This gem of a book illustrates how love makes a family, even if it's not a traditional one. The narrator continually reinforces the affectionate feelings among her mothers and siblings, and the illustrations depict numerous scenes of smiling people having a grand time. But the story serves as a model of inclusiveness for children who have same-sex parents, as well as for children who may have questions about a "different" family in their neighborhood. A lovely book that can help youngsters better understand their world.

Booklist:
Quieter moments radiate the love the mothers feel for their children and for each other. Similar in spirit to the author's Chicken Sunday, this portrait of a loving family celebrates differences, too.

CONNECTIONS:

* This book makes the perfect starting point for discussions of families. Particularly where there might be a need, use this book to jumpstart discussions about the various makeups of families. Students are bound to have varied home lives, if not with gay parents, then likely some will come from divorced, single, widowed, or step families.

* The children asks their moms multiple times why Mrs. Lockner didn't like them, but the mothers never addressed the question directly. Instead they showed the children how much they were loved. Without mentioning homosexuality, ask students why they think Mrs. Lockner didn't like their family. See what they bring up. Ask them if they think this is fair. Ask them why they think Mrs. Lockner didn't like their family.

* Most of the neighborhood supported the family. How did they show their support? (Halloween, Block Party) Consider having a school wide block party or Halloween party. What kind of games or costumes can students plan?

* The family spent many special times together including cooking and eating together, building and playing in the treehouse, and sewing dresses for the two moms. Have students discuss special family times or traditions they might have.

* Read And Tango Makes Three to show a beautiful story from the animal world about an animal family (penguins) with two dads.