Literature for Children and Young Adults: In Our Mothers' House

Bibliography

Polacco, Patricia. In Our Mother’s House. Philomel, 2009. ISBN: 9780399250767

Plot Summary

In Our Mother’s House is a story about a family. Marmee and Meema adopt three children and make a home. Marmee, Meema, and the kids are just like any other family on the block. They cook dinner together, they laugh together, and they dance together. Marmee and Meemaa's house is full of love. They teach their children that different does not mean wrong. Eventually the children grow up, get married and have children of their own and visit Marmee and Meema as much as they can.

Critical Analysis

Told in the first person by the eldest of three adopted children, we watch her (she happens to be African American), Will (Asian American) and Millie (red-haired and freckled) grow up being raised by two mothers - Meema, a short, stout, pediatrician who loves to cook and sew and Marmee, a tall, thin organized fixer-upper who is a paramedic. Readers watch the family grow, thrive, have fun, and love each other. The one negative in this book is the neighbor, Mrs. Lockner. She glares at the family during when they are trick or treating, will not let her children play with them and even shouts at them at the block party: “I don’t appreciate what you two are!” Polacco handles a neighbor-woman lightly but the story could have been told without this particular character. This is a delightful story of two mothers that do all the right things to help their children grow up feeling loved and secure. One of the best things about this book is that the characters and neighborhood represents many cultures. During the block party, the neighbors all set up a food court. There was stuffed grape leave and ground lamb, spanakopita and Greek salads, hummus and tabouli, spaghetti and fried schnitzel, sushi, and crawdads. The beautiful illustrations, done in pencils and markers are appropriate and accurately portray the characters and the typical features of their race. They show happy children and friendly neighbors (with the one exception) enjoying life together. This is a wonderful story that shows the value of diversity and strong family bonds.

Review Excerpts

Linda Perkins (Booklist, May 1, 2009 (Vol. 105, No. 17))
The oldest of three adopted children recalls her childhood with mothers Marmee and Meema, as they raised their African American daughter, Asian American son, and Caucasian daughter in a lively, supportive neighborhood. Filled with recollections of family holidays, rituals, and special moments, each memory reveals loving insight. At a school mother-daughter tea, for instance, the mothers make their first ever appearance in dresses. The narrator recalls, “My heart still skips a beat when I think of the two of them trying so hard to please us.” Only a crabby neighbor keeps her children away from their family. Meema explains, “She’s afraid of what she cannot understand: she doesn’t understand us.” 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. Quieter moments radiate the love the mothers feel for their children and for each other. Similar in spirit to the author’s Chicken Sunday, this portrait of a loving family celebrates differences, too. Pair this with Arnold Adoff’s Black Is Brown Is Tan (2002), Toyomi Igus’ Two Mrs. Gibsons (1996), or Natasha Wing’s Jalapeno Bagels (1996) for portraits of family diversity. Grades 1-4