Customer Reviews

Uncle Bobby's Wedding

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

This is a book to wonder at, in all the best ways. The story is straightforward, about a little girl guinea pig (Chloe) and her worries that she will lose her Uncle Bobby's affection when he gets married. Uncle Bobby reassures her that she need not worry about this, and when Chloe meets Uncle Bobby's partner, Jamie, she realizes that she's not losing an uncle, she's gaining one! One of the rapturous things about this story is the way the marriage is presented, as the loving event that it is, such a natural thing (for Uncle Bobby) that the fact that it is between guinea pigs of the same sex doesn't even need a discussion.

The illustrations are a delight. Sarah Brannen is an accomplished artist, and I pored over the pictures, noticing the subtle ways that young guinea pigs are drawn differently from the more sedate adult guinea pigs. You really enter Chloe's world and see the wonder of things from her perspective. This is a book to treasure!

This is a brilliantly-executed heartwarming story, a new classic. The story is told from Chloe's point of view, and we understand her priorities and why she feels the way she does. Probably all of us know (or were) a little girl like Chloe. She loves spending time with her special uncle and worries that she will "lose" him when he gets married. Then she has a such a great time with Uncle Bobby and Jamie--boating, going to the ballet, playing board games, toasting marshmallows in the fireplace--that she tells them she wishes they were *both* her uncles. They tell her she will get her wish when they get married.

Oh yeah, Uncle Bobby is gay. That this is a "by the way" part of the story is one example of how well-crafted this book is. Another example is how all family and friends are delighted about the marriage and welcoming to Jamie--well, isn't that what happens when people get married? Chloe's mother says it best: "When two grown-ups love each other that much, they want to get married." Simply, that's just the way it is.

The illustrations are wonderful--detailed yet simple, soft yet exciting, absolutely charming and warm and full of life. And the wedding reception at the end looks like such a GREAT party that I wish I could join in! Sarah S. Brannen's illustrations are terrific and her writing delightful--she really lets us into Chloe's world. I can't wait to see what Ms. Brannen brings us next!

Even though the rest of her guinea pig family and friends are delighted at the news, little Chloe's gradual adjustment to the idea of her favorite uncle getting married takes time. After all, he already has HER.

Chloe has so much trouble thinking about relinquishing Uncle Bobby's attention to his partner Jamie, she's nearly as obnoxious as Mini Mia in Mini Mia and Her Darling Uncle. She's a marvel of self-centeredness, yet her uncle is as patient and sweet as Mia's Uncle Tommy. (oh, for such indulgent, loving uncles of our own.)

As they talk about her concern and continue to be close and do interesting things together, Chloe finds she is still included in Uncle Bobby's life and will be welcome in his new family as well. She even gets to be flower girl and choose carrot cake for the wedding. Having two uncles turns out to be a fine idea, and Chloe not only thinks Uncle Bobby's wedding was the best ever, she brags that she "planned it all from the beginning."

This engaging story with easy language and appealing Illustrations of cuddly characters is satisfying to share with children around three years old.

The row boat and sail boat outings should show life jackets being worn, but otherwise, this book is terrific.

The main characters of this book are Bobby, Chloe, and Jamie, who are guinea pigs. They live in a peaceful community of woodland creatures in a the countryside near a large body of water.

Bobby is Chloe's favorite uncle, which is why she is sad when he announces that he is getting married to Jamie. Luckily, Bobby, Jamie and Chloe get on well together and enjoy going to the ballet, sailing, playing board games (something like Monopoly, but not quite) and toasting marshmallows.

The first half of the book is written in a neutral way that makes it possible to think that Jamie is female, so I was surprised when we are told that Jamie is going to be Chloe's Uncle Jamie. (My two four year olds found this interesting but not particularly remarkable.) The rest of the book is about the preparations for the wedding and the day itself, and it ends with everyone dancing in the moonlight after the wedding.

No doubt many readers will find the subject matter controversial, but this does not alter the fact that this is a perfectly good story. The watercolor illustrations accompanying the story reminded me slightly of the Angelina Ballerina stories. We enjoyed this book.

This book was hip and new, making same sex relationships a normal thing. I thought this was a good message for kids...catch 'em while they're young and impressionable. Maybe they'll take this message to the next generation and break the cycle.Moreover, it was charming and entertaining...A+

A gentle, sweet little book about a family wedding. Uncle Bobby's Wedding is about a little girl and her uncle, the wisdom of adults and the self-centered confidence of little children. The fact that Chloe's uncle marries a man is simply not important to anyone; it's the wedding that matters, not the parts of the partners. The book is unlikely to change any prejudiced adult minds. Maybe, just maybe, it will reach some young children who will grow up with an understanding that gay people are human beings, just like them. A heavy burden for a friendly little story, but these are the times we live in.

Sarah S. Brannen, Uncle Bobby's Wedding (Putnam, 2008)

Very cute book featuring a family of anthropomorphic guinea pigs. Like a number of other recent books that touch on gay issues, this one goes out of its way to not portray its gay characters as being "special" or "different", which is, in my estimation, a wonderful thing, and one that should've been done years ago. (Interracial relationships started being portrayed as nothing special in the movies roundabout the mid-eighties, and that was probably the single biggest factor in their increasing acceptance since.) But the theme is universal here, not just related to gay issues; Chloe could be any child with a favorite relative who's getting married. Bobby's sexual orientation is a minor quirk rather than a major plot twist (think Rickey and G-Man in Poppy Brite's foodie novels). Very good stuff, this. *** ½