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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
Disclaimers: I received a free digital copy of this book and its "partner" A Tale of Two Daddies in return for an honest review. Because of the books' dual nature, I am going to be comparing them to each other as well. I am also trying out a new review style, so let me know if you like it or not!
Synopsis: A young boy from a nontraditional family goes to the beach. While there, two other children ask him questions like "who fixes things when they break."
Cover/Illustrations: The cover of Two Mommies features a happy child being swung by his arms by two women. The art style is reminiscent of the Sunday comic strip Dennis the Menace, and there were some really nice touches like bits of sunlight bathing the faces of the children on the beach and flecks of sand on their skin.
Plot: For the purpose of this review, I am combining plot and dialogue/narrative style as the entire novel consists of a conversation between the boy and his playmates. The sentences are simple and at a lower reading level (simple, repetitive) so that younger kids can read along. However, a great fault of the book is that it is not very rhythmic, unlike Two Daddies.
Characterization: The little boy and his friends are characterized as innocent, non-judgmental children who are naturally curious about the world and, like a previous reviewer said, whose only problems are daily childhood struggles like losing a cat or cleaning his pockets at the end of the day. He is shown to have a decent amount of interests, including rock collecting and sports.
Theme: This book addresses gender roles of nontraditional families. I think it's great for children to learn about different types of families and that at the end of the day the child is well taken care of and happy, but I feel a little iffy about gender roles in the first place. Both books felt kind of stereotypical ("who does the daddy stuff like fixing things and coaching sports" for this book, and "who does mommy stuff like cooking and cleaning" for Two Daddies), and it felt way too familiar like that age-old question I hate to hear, "So which one of you is the girl in the relationship and which is the guy." I do appreciate seeing the parenting tasks divided equally, but again, I was hoping for less stereotypes.
Consensus: I wanted to like this much more than I did. I appreciate the attempt at teaching children that it's not about who parents you, but how. It just isn't very memorable or original. There are better alternatives to A Tale of Two Mommies.
Synopsis: A young boy from a nontraditional family goes to the beach. While there, two other children ask him questions like "who fixes things when they break."
Cover/Illustrations: The cover of Two Mommies features a happy child being swung by his arms by two women. The art style is reminiscent of the Sunday comic strip Dennis the Menace, and there were some really nice touches like bits of sunlight bathing the faces of the children on the beach and flecks of sand on their skin.
Plot: For the purpose of this review, I am combining plot and dialogue/narrative style as the entire novel consists of a conversation between the boy and his playmates. The sentences are simple and at a lower reading level (simple, repetitive) so that younger kids can read along. However, a great fault of the book is that it is not very rhythmic, unlike Two Daddies.
Characterization: The little boy and his friends are characterized as innocent, non-judgmental children who are naturally curious about the world and, like a previous reviewer said, whose only problems are daily childhood struggles like losing a cat or cleaning his pockets at the end of the day. He is shown to have a decent amount of interests, including rock collecting and sports.
Theme: This book addresses gender roles of nontraditional families. I think it's great for children to learn about different types of families and that at the end of the day the child is well taken care of and happy, but I feel a little iffy about gender roles in the first place. Both books felt kind of stereotypical ("who does the daddy stuff like fixing things and coaching sports" for this book, and "who does mommy stuff like cooking and cleaning" for Two Daddies), and it felt way too familiar like that age-old question I hate to hear, "So which one of you is the girl in the relationship and which is the guy." I do appreciate seeing the parenting tasks divided equally, but again, I was hoping for less stereotypes.
Consensus: I wanted to like this much more than I did. I appreciate the attempt at teaching children that it's not about who parents you, but how. It just isn't very memorable or original. There are better alternatives to A Tale of Two Mommies.
I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Such an adorable story. The art is so cute and the book is a great way to explain to a kid the topic of a ”non-traditional” family.
Such an adorable story. The art is so cute and the book is a great way to explain to a kid the topic of a ”non-traditional” family.
Good:
It's an easy to read with fun illustrations. This child has two friends who are asking him questions about his parents. He answers them and each answer comes with a cute illustration. I love that these are set up in a Q & A verse where neither person is upset with one another.
They just are curious and want to know more. It's a 'safe space' for kids to get answers.
Bad:
In A Tale of Two Daddies their names their daughter called them was Poppa and Daddy. In this one the mom's are called momma and mommy which can be hard for kids to keep track of while they're reading.
Kids who are confused because of the similarities in names can use the illustrations to help distinguish the difference between the parents. Mommy wears a watch and Momma wears a bracelet and is depicted with nail polish.
It's an easy to read with fun illustrations. This child has two friends who are asking him questions about his parents. He answers them and each answer comes with a cute illustration. I love that these are set up in a Q & A verse where neither person is upset with one another.
They just are curious and want to know more. It's a 'safe space' for kids to get answers.
Bad:
In A Tale of Two Daddies their names their daughter called them was Poppa and Daddy. In this one the mom's are called momma and mommy which can be hard for kids to keep track of while they're reading.
Kids who are confused because of the similarities in names can use the illustrations to help distinguish the difference between the parents. Mommy wears a watch and Momma wears a bracelet and is depicted with nail polish.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The cover art is what caught my attention, and the illustrations coupled with the poetic way the story was written brought everything together beautifully. Of course children are curious! I think the narrative of having the three converse and ask questions was a great way to facilitate this story. You can tell by the conversation between the three children that our little MC’s family is normalized :)
At the end of the day, love is love. The clever way the illustrations never quite show us what the mommies look like was another plus for me. It’s easy to get caught up in the stereotypes of what “lesbians” look like. This left it up to the reader's imagination! At the end of the day, love is love. Nothing more to say than this book is absolutely sweet, I loved the QTBIPOC representation, and this book is going to become a staple in my classroom going forward <3
At the end of the day, love is love. The clever way the illustrations never quite show us what the mommies look like was another plus for me. It’s easy to get caught up in the stereotypes of what “lesbians” look like. This left it up to the reader's imagination! At the end of the day, love is love. Nothing more to say than this book is absolutely sweet, I loved the QTBIPOC representation, and this book is going to become a staple in my classroom going forward <3
A Tale of Two Mommies gets the point across quite easily as having two parents of the same sex/gender doesn't mean that the kid(s) gets any less love. What I also like about the book is that it normalizes having parents in a queer relationship.
(ARC) In the same format as a ‘tale of two daddies’. So in love with these.
A cute children’s book demonstrating how, just like in families with a mommy and a daddy, families with two mommies are just the same! Each mommy has things she’s better at, and there are some things that both mommies are good at.
Very cute, sweet story of a child explaining the differences in his mommies to his friends. It shows a two-mother family as a normal thing to have, which is important. I love this contribution to picture book diversity.
Review copy provided by VanitaBooks, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
A Tale of Two Mommies is a sweet picture book that explains the family dynamics of a non-traditional family. Through beautiful illustration and simple rhyming patterns, we see the perspective of a young boy trying to explain to his friends what it’s like to have two mothers. He explains that he has a Momma and a Mommy, and they each are good at different things but they’re both there for him and care for him. This book is a treasure that teaches a message extending beyond same-sex parents, that all parents have their own special talents but they come together to form a whole. Young children will enjoy the pattern and the bright images while parents will appreciate the sentiment. This is a great work.
A Tale of Two Mommies is a sweet picture book that explains the family dynamics of a non-traditional family. Through beautiful illustration and simple rhyming patterns, we see the perspective of a young boy trying to explain to his friends what it’s like to have two mothers. He explains that he has a Momma and a Mommy, and they each are good at different things but they’re both there for him and care for him. This book is a treasure that teaches a message extending beyond same-sex parents, that all parents have their own special talents but they come together to form a whole. Young children will enjoy the pattern and the bright images while parents will appreciate the sentiment. This is a great work.