Module 6 - IN OUR MOTHERS' HOUSE by Patricia Polacco

Bibliography
Polacco, Patricia. 2009. IN OUR MOTHERS' HOUSE. New York, NY: Philomel Books. ISBN 10-039925076X

Plot Summary
A daughter tells the story of her loving family of adoptive mothers and adopted siblings.  An idyllic childhood with two loving parents is depicted, stories and memories are shared.  This multi-racial, lesbian household is wholly accepted by the multicultural neighborhood, except for one woman who glares at the children and tells the mothers she does not "appreciate who they are" to their faces in front of everyone.  The children learn that some people are "afraid of what they don't understand."

Critical Analysis
Pollaco's easy, expressive writing tells the story of a unique family focused on the love they have for each other.  Gay parents and/or multi-racial families are not the main focus of the story.  Young children will see that families can be different in some ways, while alike in others.  Anyone could find something in this story to relate to be it the same-sex parents, the adopted children, the multi-ethnic family, the fun things they do as a family, or the love they have for one another.  The oldest adopted child tells a string of stories and memories about her mothers' and their family home.  The mothers' are just like any other mother you might know who loves her children with all her heart; they have jobs, different skills and hobbies, and would do anything for their children, even dress up in ultra-feminine dresses and host a tea party.  Pollaco shows a contemporary, tight-knit, multicultural neighborhood represented through the illustrations and descriptions of the foods each family serves at the annual block party.   The pencil and marker illustrations shine with Pollaco's trademark style.  They are warm, emanate love and friendship, and show a wide variety of ethnicity's sharing with and enjoying each other. 

Review Excerpts
School Library Journal: "This gem of a book illustrates how love makes a family, even if it's not a traditional one."

Booklist: "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."

Connections
Newman, Leslea. 2009. MOMMY, MAMA, AND ME. Ill. Carol Thompson. Berkeley, CA: Tricycle Press.  ISBN 10-9781582462639
Newman, Leslea. 2009. DADDY, PAPA, AND ME. Ill. Carol Thompson. Berkeley, CA: Tricycle Press. ISBN 10-9781582462622
Richardson, Justin & Parnell, Peter. 2005. AND TANGO MAKES THREE. Ill. Henry Cole. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing. ISBN 10-0689878451
Kilodavis, Cheryl. 2009. MY PRINCESS BOY. Suzanne DeSimone. New York, NY: Aladdin. ISBN 10-1442429887