Starred review from March 14, 2016
Mexican author-illustrator Galindo (The Cherry Thief) offers an understated but emotionally intense account of a mother and her adopted child “learning how to be a family.” Galindo’s digital illustrations have a crayonlike softness, and she pictures the child (who narrates, and whose gender is unspecified) as a golden dog. Its mother is an orange cat with brown stripes, highlighting how adoptive family members don’t necessarily look alike, especially in cases of transracial adoption. Pared-down backgrounds (a couple trees and a gently curving hill define a park, during an outing away from home) keep the focus on the dog’s emotions. The closing idea that “Mom is learning how to be my mom, and I am learning how to be Mom’s kid” is a powerful one for both adoptive parents and their children. Ages 3–7. Agent: Kendra Marcus, Bookstop Literary.
January 15, 2016
Galindo's American picture-book debut makes strides toward filling gaps in adoption narratives. First-person narration follows an anthropomorphic puppy settling in with a "new mom." Mom is a striped cat--on the surface, an odd choice given the antagonism typically associated with these animals. The text doesn't acknowledge this, but it reveals related concerns: "I was worried I didn't look like Mom." The puppy paints stripes on its body, but Mom lovingly provides assurance: "She likes that we are different." Cleansed of paint, child and mother take a walk and ignore a glowering spotted cat-and-kitten pair who presumably disapprove of their interspecies family. Otherwise, they stay home navigating the everyday ups and downs of getting acquainted. There's only scant attention given to the puppy's pre-adoptive life: it arrives with two packed bags and also says, "I'd never had my own room before." This leaves questions open about the puppy's life and neglects the third part of the adoption triad: the birth family. And yet, this is one of few adoption books to feature an older child entering a new family, and the two animals' different appearances could be read as symbolizing different races. The presentation of a single mother is also unusual and valuable. Throughout, digital illustrations employ a soft, flat aesthetic rendered in a muted palette that meets the gentle text's tone. A welcome addition. (Picture book. 4-8)
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January 1, 2016
PreS-Gr 1-This cross-species adoption story with a feline mother and a canine child uses gentle touches to show glimpses into the process of becoming a family, told through the child's point of view. The young pup is nervous at first and uses paint for body art to mirror the mother's stripes. A tender scene where the stripes are washed off is paired with the lesson: "But Mom said I didn't need fixing. She likes that we are different." This reassurance holds firm despite the pointed looks from a parent-and-child pair of blue-spotted gray cats they pass by in the park. There's a softness to the digital illustrations that is helped by the muted and calm color palette of slate, beige, and earthy orange and yellow. Simple lines and figures consistently convey the mother's caring expressions, whether they are playing or reading together and even as she administers discipline (followed by comfort). Acknowledged is the fact that both parent and child are learning every day, making a commitment to strengthen their bond. VERDICT Lovely and lovingly done.-Joanna K. Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
February 15, 2016
Preschool-G In this sweet, reassuring story, an adopted anthropomorphized puppy describes adapting to a new home situation. In a first-person narrative, the puppy expresses excitement and anxiety in a realistic and age-appropriate manner. The text is purposely vague about why these two characters, an older cat and younger dog, came together. Instead, Galindo focuses on the realities of a new family. At one point the puppy says, I was worried that I didn't look like Mom, so I tried to fix it, and Galindo shows the puppy painting catlike stripes all over itself. The patient mother washes off the paint and reassures her son that she likes him the way he is. Other worries, such as not always getting along with mom, are acknowledged without negative judgment. The blocky, geometric figures in dense, warm color are appealingly childlike, while small lines capture the two characters' range of expressions. The puppy realizes that, though some days are hard, it's all a part of learning how to be a family. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)
July 1, 2016
In a heartfelt first-person text, a young dog tells of initial mixed feelings about its adoptive single-parent mom (a cat); spare digital illustrations make the pair's species-specific differences plain to see. In the end, the narrator is comforted: "we are learning how to be a family." A hopeful, satisfying treatment of older-child adoption that speaks to the universal need for love and acceptance.
(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
May 1, 2016
This tender look at older-child adoption may have a focused audience, but it speaks to the universal need for love and acceptance. The muted colors and lack of detail in the spare, digitally rendered illustrations focus attention on the relationship between mother and child. In a direct and heartfelt first-person text, the young dog narrator tells of initial mixed feelings (single-parent Mom is a cat): "When I first came to live with my new mom, I was nervous." The accompanying illustration speaks volumes. The worried-looking pup, having just arrived with a backpack and a suitcase, stands next to Mom inside the house; the pair's species-specific differences are plain to see. The dog looks toward two framed cat-shaped images on the wall, further telegraphing feelings of separateness. As the pup relaxes and learns to trust Mom, both animals' body language reflects a deepening bond. The narrator worries "that I didn't look like Mom," and Mom is reassuring in her assertion that "I didn't need fixing. She likes that we are different." Galindo acknowledges an adoptee's anger and grief -- "Sometimes I don't like Mom. Sometimes I feel really sad." In the end, the narrator is comforted knowing that "we are learning how to be a family." A hopeful and extremely satisfying treatment of the topic. kitty flynn
(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)