In Our Mothers' House (Hardcover)

~ (Author, Illustrator)

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

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Philomel (April 30, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039925076X
• ISBN-13: 978-0399250767
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #27,942 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #4 in	Books > Teens > Social Issues > Homosexuality > Fiction
  #6 in	Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( P ) > Polacco, Patricia
  #13 in	Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Family Life > Adoption > Fiction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful story, June 18, 2009

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Patricia Polacco's IN OUR MOTHER'S HOUSE tells of Marmee, Meema and the kids who are like any other family - except they have two moms and no dad. One family on their block won't accept them - but their house is filled with love and gentle teachings in this wonderful story of a different family. An exceptional acquisition, highly recommended.

5.0 out of 5 stars In Our Mothers' House, October 22, 2009

By	M. M. WEYER (Hollis, Maine United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What a wonderful story for our time! With Marriage for Gay and Lesbian couples being threatened in Maine and challenged all over the country, stories like this one are needed more than ever. Patricia Polacco's story reminds it's readers that all families should be celebrated.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Look Carefully at the Apostrophe, June 28, 2009

By	P. Brooks "American West Mom" (Wyoming) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Remember that in the English Language an apostrophe after the s is plural not possessive. I bought this book by Polacco for my Mother for Mother's Day. I obviously did not read about it at all. I looked at the title and knew that I loved Polacco so I bought it. It was not the book I needed for my own traditional mother. However, it is a very tastefully written book about growing up with two mothers. It does not in any way go into details of living arrangements or anything like that. It is a book about children that had two loving mothers and how they grew up.