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
By Dana Rudolph - Published on Amazon.com
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.
25 of 28 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Guinea Pigs?, Oct 18 2008
By Suzanne Bennett "justmesuzanne" - Published on Amazon.com
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.
26 of 31 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful story and illustrations!, April 16 2008
By planetsong "Barb" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Uncle Bobby's Wedding (Hardcover)
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!