Daddy's Wedding (Alyson Wonderland) [Hardcover]

Michael Willhoite (Author)

Book Description

Series: Alyson Wonderland | Publication Date: June 1, 2000

Six years after writing and illustrating Daddy's Roommate, Michael Willhoite brings another pioneering story. Nick is like any other 10-year-old boy, but when Daddy and Daddy's roommate, Frank, decide to get married, Nick gets to do something extra special: play best man. And while everybody celebrates the big wedding day, the dog Clancy is working on a big surprise for all of them!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The sequel to the headline-making Daddy's Roommate (1990), this picture book seems destined to touch off a similar controversy. This time Daddy is getting married to his partner, Frank, and asks his 10-year-old son to be the best man at their "wedding" (or "commitment ceremony," as Frank calls it). If the reception of Daddy's Roommate is much of a predictor, people's responses to this book will center almost exclusively on its politics, not its artistic merits. Those in the market for picture books about gay parenting will laud Willhoite's candor and forthright approach, and overlook the cartoonish art and mediocre text. For others, the subject matter alone will suffice to condemn the book. If applied to another theme, the meager talents showcased here wouldn't draw much attention, but with same-sex marriage such a hot topic right now, the one thing the book won't be is ignored. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 4^-8. "Can men get married to each other?" Nick asks his dad. In this sequel to Daddy's Roommate (1991), the answer is a resounding "yes!" with a commitment ceremony and celebration in the backyard and Nick acting as best man at his father's wedding. Children's books have developed beyond this kind of heavy didacticism and exclamatory art. The wedding does look like fun, but the only moment of real narrative here is when the dog eats part of the wedding cake. There's a condescending literalness to this picture book, which is as amateurish as the most strident fundamentalist Christian "fiction." Every detail is message driven: Nick's mother is happily remarried, and he loves his stepfather; the guests include a lesbian couple; the minister is a large woman; Nick is off to baseball camp. The subject of same-sex marriage deserves better than this. Consider for purchase where material on the subject is needed, but let's hope something better comes along soon. Hazel Rochman

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Alyson Books; 1st edition (June 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555833500
• ISBN-13: 978-1555833503
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #926,263 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A useful and, let's face it, cute book., June 7, 2000

By 

Timothy Capehart "Review-a-holic" (Dayton, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Daddy's Wedding (Alyson Wonderland) (Hardcover)

Willhoite's illustrations have always had the cartoony appeal of Kevin Henkes and that helps to make them more calming and sweet. This book is more a pleasant fantasy of how things should be and might be in the future than it is a realistic depiction of present day gay America.

This well done book is a must for men or women contemplating same-sex marriages who also have young children. It is the story of a divoriced man who is re-marrying. He just happens to be marrying another man. It is presentd in such a way that it doesn't feel like anything too out of the ordinary for most of the people involved.

It doesn't quite live up to the simple, realistic Daddy's Roommate...but it is an excellent and necessary book!