Emma and Meesha My Boy: A Two Mom Story

Considine, Kaitlyn T. Emma and Meesha My Boy: a Two Mom Story. Illus. Binny Hobbs. TWOMOMBOOKS.Com, 2005.

This picture book tells the story of Emma’s escapades with her cat named Meesha My Boy. A somewhat mischievous little girl, Emma is always busy playing with Meesha – but not always in ways that her moms approve of. With a little guidance from her parents, Emma learns to take care of her cat in a loving and respectful manner.

The book starts off by introducing the reader to the Emma, her cat, and her two moms, Mama and Mommy. The introduction of Emma’s moms is brief and is there mostly to clarify the names of each mom. It is certainly not the central focus of the story. Mama and Mommy are depicted as caring parents, watching over Emma and teaching her the do’s and don’ts of pet ownership. By focusing this story around Emma and her cat, Kaitlyn Taylor Considine is illustrating that diverse family picture books don’t have to focus on lesbian parents being unique or different.

llustrator Binny Hobbs uses both color and whimsy in her cartoon depiction of Emma and her family. Despite the mischief Emma tends to cause, the fun, full page illustrations depict all the signs of a happy, loving home life. The text is large, rhyming, and easy to follow making this a book that young readers are sure to enjoy over and over again.

Reactions to Confessions of a Closet Catholic:

After finishing up Confessions of a Closet Catholic by Sarah Darer Littman, I have to say I’m pretty impressed with how the book tackled the subjects of faith, spirituality, and religion in such an authentic and often humorous way.

Littman did a nice job providing the reader with insight into Jewish culture, customs, and traditions. I also enjoyed the intermixing of Yiddish and Hebrew language; it brought me back to some wonderful memories of Hanukkah and Rosh Hashana dinners at my boyfriend’s house.

One of the most useful messages that I took away from this reading was an overall message of tolerance. I’d have to echo Rob, Justine’s crush, in his admiration of her thirst for knowledge :

“It’s so cool that you took time to learn about another religion. Knowledge makes people more tolerant. Too bad more people don’t do what you did, and learn about different beliefs.” (pg 97)

I appreciate that the novel didn’t favor one religion over another. Instead, it addresses the complexity of faith while ultimately leaving the reader with an understanding that wanting to figure things out for yourself is okay too.

Themes within Becoming Naomi León

While reading Alma Ada’s piece, Words of Jade and Coral: Latino Literature for Children and Adolescents, I tried to connect her discussion of genre and theme with what I had just read in Becoming Naomi León.

One reoccurring theme Ada discusses is the important role that grandparents play in many pieces of Latino Literature. This certainly holds true in Becoming Naomi León as seen in the character of Gram. Interestingly, being Skyla’s mother, Gram is Caucasian rather than Latina. This does flip the script in terms of how this theme plays out in this particular novel. Still, there is no arguing that Becoming Naomi León is a book about the value of family, regardless of Gram’s race/ethnicity.

In my opinion Becoming Naomi León also does a great job at what Ada calls “Celebrating and Transmitting the Richness of the Culture”. Since Owen and Naomi grow up apart from their father, their main connection to their Mexican heritage comes through the characters of Fabiola and Bernardo and the family’s “vacation” to Mexico. It is during this trip that readers (alongside Naomi) truly get a sense of how wonderful Oaxaca and its traditions can be.