Two new picture books look at differing aspects of shifting family life: In one, a boy finds inspiration from each of his separated moms; in the other, a girl adjusts to her mom’s new partner. The parents’ queerness isn’t the point—but it’s great to see queer representation in situations that could apply to any type of family.
One Small Moment: Learning to Tell Your Story, by Rebecca Donnelly, illustrated by Amélie Videlo (Henry Holt): The young protagonist of this story loves receiving notes in his lunchbox from his mom, and drawings from his mama, depending on which of them he’s staying with at the moment. He wants to write like Mom and draw like Mama, but doesn’t think he has the skill. Each parent urges patience.
When a class assignment challenges each student to write a story about a small thing that happened in their life, he draws a blank. He compares his work to that of other students and finds it lacking. In talking with Mama, however, he recalls the story of his favorite stuffed animal, whom he got with Mama when he was missing Mom’s real dog. A subsequent talk with Mom reminds him of a related story, when the two of them got the dog from the shelter. Both are good stories, he thinks, but each is still only half the story.
Then, with the encouragement of his parents and gentle prompting from the teacher, he lands on the story he wants to share for the assignment. He uses both words and pictures to tell about when Mom brought the real dog over to Mama’s house to sniff out the lost stuffie. It’s a story that involves both of his parents, told using talents inspired by each of them. We see how important it was to him to include both of them as part of his whole story.
This is one of a small number of picture books about a child of queer parents who are divorced/separated, and one of even fewer that focuses on their subsequent cooperative lives, rather than on the divorce/separation itself. The book also offers a gentle message about having patience in finding one’s story and the way one wants to tell it, making it a recommended title.
The Pumpkin Seed, by Poppy O’Neill, illustrated by Brizida Magro (Nosy Crow): The girl protagonist here isn’t exactly happy when her mom’s new partner, Sam, moves in. Sam puts her cactus right in front of the child’s special shelf, and Sam’s compost bin is full of slimy, yucky things. The mom acknowledges that “It’s hard when things change.”
There are some good things—the girl gets extra cuddles from her mom, and shows Sam her drawings and toys. Sam shows the girl how to make a paper airplane (though it gets stuck on Sam’s cactus), and helps water and weed the garden. But when they all try to sit on the garden bench, it doesn’t fit the three of them. The child feels squished, literally and (we assume) metaphorically.
One day, Sam tries to help the girl transfer a pumpkin sprout from a pot to the garden, but accidentally startles her. The pot smashes to the ground. All of the girl’s frustrations come out in a howl of anger. Sam has “ruined everything” and the girl wishes she had never come to live with them.
Both Sam and Mom are sympathetic, though; Sam agrees that her arrival is a big change. Sam also has an idea to save the pumpkin sprout, using the now-not-slimy compost to create a nourishing spot for it in the garden. Fast forward to fall, when they harvest many large pumpkins from the now-grown plant, make jack-o’-lanterns together, and save some seeds for next spring so they can plant their next garden “together.”
The story feels perfectly pitched; there’s a message about change and a metaphor about growth, time, and nourishment, but neither feels preachy. The girl’s first-person perspective helps with that, and author Poppy O’Neill doesn’t over-explain. Importantly, too, the adults in the story allow the girl to have her complicated feelings and to process them at her own pace. Illustrator Brizida Magro’s absolutely charming images are soft and sweet, with lots of greens and blues punctuated by red, orange, and yellow.
The highly recommended title should be especially appreciated by queer blended families (ones with two moms most of all), but its message should resonate with blended families of many identities.