BIBLIOGRAPHY
Polacco, Patricia. 2009. In Our Mothers’ House. New York, NY: Philomel Books. ISBN-10: 039925076X ISBN-13: 978-0399250767
PLOT SUMMARY
In Our Mothers’ House is about Marmee, Meema and three adopted children. This is a family with two moms and no father. They live in a beautiful home, do lots of fun activities, and love each other very much in acceptance in who they are. Both of the moms work and are very active in the community neighborhood. This story is told by the oldest daughter and tells of their “big old brown shingle house on Woolsey Street in Berkeley, California”, appreciating how wonderful her life is, as well as that of her brother Will and her sister Millie. A feel good story!
CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
“When my mothers told me about how they brought me home to live with them shortly after I was born, their eyes would shine and glisten and they’d grin from ear to ear.
They told me how they had walked across dry hot deserts, sailed through turbulent seas, flew over tall mountains and trekked through fierce storms just to bring me home.” Pg. 1
This story is told through the oldest daughter’s memories and never mentions her name. Every memory she talks about is how wonderful her moms are, the support they give all three of them, and the unconditional love that was given to them.
In Our Mothers’ House is full of cultural makers. The moms are both of Caucasian origin and lesbians. This is a cultural marker for the alternative lifestyle. The children were all of different ethnic backgrounds. The oldest daughter is African American with black skin, dark eyes and curly black hair. Will is of Asian American culture with straight black hair, slanted, dark eyes and yellowish-tan skin. Millie is Caucasian with red hair and white skin. The neighborhood in which they live is a multicultural, diverse group, including the mention of different ethnic foods. The moms organized a block party and here are the neighbors and the foods they brought:
“So the Mardicians brought stuffed grape leaves and ground lamb. The Polos brought spanakopita and Greek salads. The Abdullas brought hummus and tabouli. Nonno (their Italian grandfather) made a huge pot of spaghetti and fried schnitzel. The Yamagakis brought sushi, which I liked a lot. But Meema passed it up for fried clams and crawdads and corn on the cob, which the Barbers had made.” Pgs. 29-30
The cultural markers were apparent in the neighbors, by the color of their skin, hair styles and color, facial hair, and clothing. The only negative aspect was the neighbor, Mrs. Lockner, who did not agree with the moms’ lifestyle and was very vocal about her feelings. She wouldn’t let her children play with the children or participate in any of the neighborhood parties, because of her feelings about the moms’ alternative lifestyle. This presented the opportunity to talk about how it is okay to be different.
The narrator makes it very apparent how loving their moms were, even though they lived an alternative lifestyle. “From the day we entered our mothers’ house, they prepared us for the day that we would leave it.” Pg. 37 Leave they did, with the oldest going to medical school, Will becoming an engineer, and Millie a fashion designer. They all came home to be married in the garden under the tree house they built called Thistle House. She leaves us with a wonderful ending as her moms have grown old and passed away.
“We watched our mothers grow old together in that house. The passed away within a year of each other. Will, Millie, and I placed them together in a green hillside overlooking the bay very near the place where they pledged their love to each other so many years ago.” Pg. 41
A wonderful book for children who live in a gay/lesbian household. This is also a great story on multicultural families living together in harmony, as it should be.
Patricia Polacco is not only the author, but the illustrator as well. Her pictures capture the love that these moms feel for their children and the children’s faces are wonderful studies of true happiness. The colors and the diverse mix of families will delight anyone reading this book. The illustrations are rendered in pencils and markers. The text is set in 16-point Adobe Jenson.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
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
AWARDS/HONORS
No awards for this book.
Awards Page from her Website
1988 Sydney Taylor Book Award
The Keeping Quilt
1989 International Reading Association Award
Rechenka’s Eggs
March 10th 1990 Santa Clara Reading Council
Author’s Hall of Fame
Commonwealth Club of California
Recognition of Excellence
1990 Babushka’s Doll
1992 Chicken Sunday Nov. 14th 1992
1992 Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
Golden Kite Award for Illustration
Chicken Sunday
1992 Boston Area Educators for Social Responsibility
Children’s Literature and Social Responsibility Award
Nov. 9th 1993 Jane Adams Peace Asoc. and Women’s Intl. League
for Peace and Freedom
Honor award to Mrs. Katz and Tush for its effective contribution to peace and social justice.
Parent’s Choice Honors
1991 Some Birthday
1997 Video/ Dream Keeper
1998 Thank You Mr. Falker
1996 North Dakota Library Association Children’s Book Award
My Rotten Red Headed Older Brother
1996 Jo Osborne Award
For Humor in Children’s Literature
1997 Missouri Association of School Librarians
Show Me Readers Award for My Rotten Red Headed Older Brother
1997 West Virginia Children’s Book Award
Pink and Say
1998 Mid -South Independent Booksellers for Children
Humpty Dumpty Award
CONNECTIONS
This book is great for discussions about adoption, multicultural families and alternative parenting lifestyles.
Patricia Polacco Website – visit her Website for activities, coloring pages, bookmarkers, etc. for her other books.
http://www.patriciapolacco.com/index.htm
Other Works by Patricia Polacco:
Chicken Sunday ISBN: 9780399221330
Emma Kate ISBN: 9780399244520
The Graves Family ISBN: 9780399240348
Pink and Say ISBN: 9780399226717
Thank You, Mr. Faulkner ISBN: 9780399231667
Other books about families with gay/lesbian parents:
Newman, Lesléa. Mommy, Mama, and Me. ISBN: 9781582462639
Newman, Lesléa. Heather Has Two Mommies. ISBN: 9781593501365
Newman, Lesléa. Daddy, Pappa, and Me. ISBN: 9781582462622
Simon, Norma. All Families are Special. ISBN: 9780807521755
Parr, Todd. It’s Okay to Be Different. ISBN: 9780316043472
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