In Our Mothers' House [Hardcover]

Patricia Polacco (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: April 30, 2009 | Age Range: 6 - 8 years | Lexile Measure: 750L (What's this?)

Marmee, Meema, and the kids are just like any other family on the block. In their beautiful house, they cook dinner together, they laugh together, and they dance together. But some of the other families don?t accept them. They say they are different. How can a family have two moms and no dad? But Marmee and Meema?s house is full of love. And they teach their children that different doesn?t mean wrong. And no matter how many moms or dads they have, they are everything a family is meant to be.

Here is a true Polacco story of a family, living by their own rules, and the strength they gain by the love they feel.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1–4—This gem of a book illustrates how love makes a family, even if it's not a traditional one. The narrator, a black girl, describes how her two Caucasian mothers, Marmee and Meema, adopted her, her Asian brother, and her red-headed sister. She tells about the wonderful times they have growing up in Berkeley, CA. With their large extended family and friends, they celebrate Halloween with homemade costumes, build a tree house, organize a neighborhood block party, and host a mother-daughter tea party. 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. Most of the neighbors are supportive, except for one woman who tells Marmee and Meema, "I don't appreciate what you two are." Eventually, the children grow up, marry heterosexual spouses, and return home to visit their aged parents with their own children. Is this an idealized vision of a how a gay couple can be accepted by their family and community? Absolutely. 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.—Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT
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From Booklist

The oldest of three adopted children recalls her childhood with mothers Marmee and Meema, as they raised their African American daughter, Asian American son, and Caucasian daughter in a lively, supportive neighborhood. Filled with recollections of family holidays, rituals, and special moments, each memory reveals loving insight. At a school mother-daughter tea, for instance, the mothers make their first ever appearance in dresses. The narrator recalls, “My heart still skips a beat when I think of the two of them trying so hard to please us.” Only a crabby neighbor keeps her children away from their family. Meema explains, “She’s afraid of what she cannot understand: she doesn’t understand us.” The energetic illustrations in pencil and marker, though perhaps not as well-rendered as in some previous works, teem with family activities and neighborhood festivity. 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. Pair this with Arnold Adoff’s Black Is Brown Is Tan (2002), Toyomi Igus’ Two Mrs. Gibsons (1996), or Natasha Wing’s Jalapeno Bagels (1996) for portraits of family diversity. Grades 1-4. --Linda Perkins

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 6 - 8 years
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Philomel; First Edition edition (April 30, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039925076X
• ISBN-13: 978-0399250767
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.5 x 11 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #63,242 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #45 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Adoption

More About the Author

Born Patricia Ann Barber in Lansing, Michigan, to parents of Russian and Ukrainian descent on one side and Irish on the other, Patricia Polacco grew up in both California and Michigan. Her school year was spent in Oakland, California, and summers in her beloved Michigan. She describes her family members as marvelous storytellers. "My fondest memories are of sitting around a stove or open fire, eating apples and popping corn while listening to the old ones tell glorious stories about their homeland and the past. We are tenacious traditionalists and sentimentalists.... With each retelling our stories gain a little more Umph!"Studying in the United States and Australia, Patricia Polacco has earned an M.F.A. and a Ph. D. in art history, specializing in Russian and Greek painting, and iconographic history. She is a museum consultant on the restoration of icons. As a participant in many citizen exchange programs for writers and illustrators, Patricia Polacco has traveled extensively in Russia as well as other former Soviet republics. She continues to support programs that encourage Russo-American friendships and understanding. She is also deeply involved in inner-city projects here in the U.S. that promote the peaceful resolution of conflict and encourage art and literacy programs.The mother of a grown son and a daughter, Patricia Polacco currently resides in Michigan, where she has a glorious old farm that was built during the time of Lincoln.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite! December 16, 2009

By Petra A. Mertens

Format:Hardcover

The book is wonderful and my absolute favorite among my children's books. Our kids read it often and will always comment on certain aspects that relate to their own stories.
the book touches on many topics: the unconditional love of two mothers for their children, lesbian parenting, adoption, transracial families, homophobia, true family values, loss, and the comfort we find in the traditions that we create.
I have read it so many times - and still my eyes tear up at the end.

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars a story full of a family's love and warmth November 28, 2009

By Great Kid Books VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Marmee and Meema and their three children fill their lives with the of joy of new puppies, holiday meals and homemade Halloween costumes. They cook together, laugh together, dance together. Their lives are like any other family in their town. And while one of their neighbors doesn't accept them because they are different, Marmee and Meema handle it with gentleness and grace, focusing instead on the support they feel from the rest of their neighborhood.

Patricia Polacco has created a portrait of a loving family here, celebrating their differences while showing the love that all of the family members feel for each other. This certainly can help children see that families with two moms, two dads or adopted children are families full of love; but this book also simply reminds children of the love and safety they feel within their own home.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Back on the Shelves February 9, 2013

By Eyeconic

Format:Hardcover

After the intervention of the ACLU, this wonderful book is back on the shelves in Davis County, Utah ( [...] ). Yet I am saddened that some people continue to view diversity as some sort of threat.