This picture-book version of author Steven Rowley’s adult novel, The Guncle, centers 6-year-old Grant and 9-year-old Maisie, who go to visit GUP (“Gay Uncle Patrick,” as their mom used to call him) in Palm Springs for the summer. GUP knew they were “missing their mom,” we read; he misses her, too. “And he had lost someone else he loved.” A photo on his shelf, showing two men, implies that the person was a partner/spouse.
The book treads so gently on the topic of death, though, that it may be unclear to young readers what happened to the kids’ mom. Are they just missing her because they are visiting GUP? The phrase “lost someone else” implies that she was “lost,” too, but it’s a subtle point. Adult readers should be prepared to explain.
Despite their collective sadness, GUP tries to do things to cheer them up, like going to the zoo, taking them for ice cream, getting a new puppy, and celebrating Christmas in July. Nothing quite seems to work. On the last night before the kids are set to return home, however, GUP offers them some wisdom: they’ll always carry memories of their mom inside them, and “there will be room in your lives to be happy again.” Things may still feel different, but “It’s okay to make up new rules to help you heal.”
The adult version of the book goes into more detail about how GUP’s lifestyle as a certain type of affluent gay man is challenged when he has to care for the kids, but that angle is smartly not included here, as it would likely be of little interest to young readers. Instead, the story deals thoughtfully with the issue of grief, but balances GUP’s serious wisdom with a lighter look at his life in Palm Springs, wearing caftans, loving brunch, and touting date milkshakes to the kids (“who were smart and ordered chocolate”).
Young people dealing with grief, particularly those with guncles in their lives, may find some solace in GUP’s wise advice.
Grant, Maisie, and their guncle read as White.
