Review by Booklist Review
The author of the classic picture book Heather Has Two Mommies (1989) tells a family wedding story that builds to a climactic celebration. Donovan is excited about an upcoming wedding, in which he has a big job as ring bearer. As Grandma and Grandpa give him breakfast, and he gets dressed in his smart new clothes, he remembers to keep track of the little white satin ring box at all times and not shake it or crush it / or squash it or lose it / no matter what. Finally, it is time to walk down the aisle and give one shiny gold ring to Mommy and another one to Mama as a tall grown-up in the long black robe says, I now pronounce you wife and wife. Plain and poetic, the swiftly flowing free verse perfectly captures the day's excitement, as does Dutton's digitally touched gouache artwork, which keeps the focus on Donovan's role in the blissfully happy event. A welcome addition to the still short shelf of picture books featuring same-sex parents.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Newman, who broke new ground with Heather Has Two Mommies (1989), returns with an overly earnest and curiously constructed story about a child's role in his same-sex parents' wedding, which follows such books as Uncle Bobby's Wedding (2008) and Mom and Mum Are Getting Married (2004). Newman doesn't reveal whose wedding it is until the final pages, instead devoting most of the story to lengthy descriptions of Donovan's preparations and observations. While she may have intended to build narrative tension before letting readers see that it's Donovan's Mommy and Mama at the altar, in reality it means wading through pages of run-on sentences that read like an instruction manual: "He had to tuck the little white satin box that Aunt Jennifer gave him into his inside jacket pocket and keep track of it at all times and not shake or crush it or squash it or lose it no matter what." Debut artist Dutton's digitally enhanced gouache paintings are bright and upbeat, clearly empathizing with the green-eyed hero's seriousness and pride. It's less about gay marriage than a child's wedding preparations-no matter who's getting hitched. Ages 4-7. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-3-When Donovan wakes up, he knows that he must dress quickly, eat carefully, and do everything just right because it is a very special day. At the end of the story, readers find out that he is the ring bearer at the wedding of his two mothers. When he plays his part without a hitch, he is rewarded with hugs and kisses from the happy brides. Newman and Dutton do a good job of capturing the excitement of a boy who knows he has an important job to do. They also successfully portray the idea that a wedding is a time of celebration. Not only Donovan but his grandparents and extended family are also excited about the big day, and all cry tears of joy at its happy ending. Child-friendly gouache illustrations capture Donovan's excited, self-conscious expressions as he moves carefully through his tasks. Dutton also includes details about the wedding, such as a teenage boy with his shirttails loose and the mother of one of the brides straightening her husband's tie, that give the story a familiar, comfortable feeling. As in Newman's Mommy, Momma and Me (Tricycle, 2009), this book broaches a controversial issue in an appealingly nonthreatening way.-Donna Cardon, Provo City Library, UT (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Donovan has many little jobs to do--wash his face, don a suit--en route to his "BIG job": he's the ring bearer at his moms' wedding. Donovan's excitement is palpable throughout Newman's text. Dutton succeeds at making the main character look like a kid trying to feel like himself in a penguin suit. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Heather Has Two Mommies, 1989, etc.) latest picture book about queer family life. Centered on the child's experience and refreshingly eschewing reference to controversy, the book emerges as a celebration of not only Mommy's and Mama's mutual love but progress toward equal marriage rights for same-sex couples. Readers, however, don't know immediately know why it is "a very BIG day" for Donovan or what the "very BIG job" is that he has to do. In his affectionate, humorous gouache paintings with digital finish, Dutton cleverly includes clues in the form of family pictures in an earlier spread set inside their home, and then a later spread shows Donovan in a suit and placing a "little white satin box that Aunt Jennifer gave him" into his pocket, hinting toward his role as ring bearer. But it's not until the third-to-last spread that he stands with his parents and hands "one shiny gold ring to Mommy [and] one shiny gold ring to Mama." He, of course, gets to kiss the brides on the last page, lending a happily-ever-after sensibility to the end of this story about a family's new beginning. (Picture book. 3-6)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
