48 of 54 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A charming and inclusive book that doesn't preach, May 7, 2008
This review is from: Uncle Bobby's Wedding (Hardcover)
Uncle Bobby's Wedding is more than just a good LGBT-inclusive children's book; it is a good children's book, period. It tells the sweet story of Chloe, an anthropomorphic young guinea pig who worries that Uncle Bobby won't keep having fun with her after he marries his boyfriend Jamie. Uncle Bobby explains that their special times together will not end; Chloe will not be losing an uncle, but gaining one. The book ends at the wedding, with Chloe as the enthusiastic flower girl.
Written from Chloe's perspective, Uncle Bobby deftly expresses a young child's concerns about family relationships and change. It stresses the power of love to encompass both old and new. Brannen's rich watercolor drawings match the tranquil but sometimes playful tone of the text.
The book's great strength is that Jamie's gender is a non-issue throughout. Unlike many older LGBT-themed children's books, such as
Heather Has Two Mommies, it doesn't focus on a child struggling against negative views of her family. That approach has value for some, but Uncle Bobby indicates it is now possible to present a same-sex relationship without the need to defend it or compare it, however favorably, with a heterosexual norm. (Even the excellent
And Tango Makes Three contrasts the same-sex penguin pair with the usual opposite-sex couples.) This leaves Brannen free to concentrate on her other themes, and opens up the book to a wider audience.
The book will likely be criticized by some for "promoting" same-sex marriage, but in reality it is as sweet and inoffensive a children's book as one could ever hope to find. It shows two men (well, male guinea pigs) getting married, but never preaches. Highly recommended.
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28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally a book for gay uncles!, July 17, 2008
This review is from: Uncle Bobby's Wedding (Hardcover)
I learned about this book through the incident with the librarian in Colorado defending this gay-marriage storybook.
I was thrilled to learn there is now a book that I can read to my niece and nephews and normalize what is true about their gay uncle.
I have longed for a book like this as I married my partner in 2000 and want to explain to them that my marriage is just like their mommy and daddy's. Now I can!
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24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Guinea Pigs?, October 18, 2008
This review is from: Uncle Bobby's Wedding (Hardcover)
I'm more alarmed that it's about guinea pigs running loose in the woods and gallivanting about at night. An owl could get them! Very un-guinea-pig-like behavior! As far as the same-sex thing goes, yeah, guinea pigs do that!
It's a nice book that gives kids a chance to discuss same-sex relationships at home before they go to school and encounter classmates who have a different assortment of parents than they do. Whether one is for or against same-sex relationships, they are a fact of life. Kids will be more comfortable knowing they exist rather than being surprised by their new friends' two moms or dads. And of course, the child who has two moms or dads will be happy to find a book that relates to his or her life.
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