Product Description

Bobby and Jamie are getting married, but Bobby’s niece Chloe is worried that she won’t be his favorite person anymore. Will Uncle Bobby still think she is special?

Sarah Brannen’s warm story is set in an alternative family as Uncle Bobby marries his boyfriend. Uncle Bobby’s Wedding embraces Bobby’s relationship with Jamie, but keeps its focus where it truly belongs: on an uncle and niece’s love for each other.

Beautifully told and charmingly illustrated, this simple yet moving story begs to be read time and again.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #605131 in Books
• Published on: 2008-03-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

Review
"...story and pictures are gentle and serene rather than controversial." -- Jane Langton, Newbery Honor-winning author of The Fledgling

"I love it. It's a beautiful book that needs no explaining." -- Jacqueline Woodson, Newbery Honor-winning author of Show Way

"This is SUCH a lovely, charming book. It's about time." -- Tomie de Paola, Newbery Honor-winning author of 26 Fairmont Avenue

"Valiant, valid, validating, valuable." -- Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked

"...Sarah Brannen's beautiful and moving tale has arrived just in time for the young, twenty-first century reader." -- Robert Sabuda, bestselling pop-up artist

The watercolor-and-graphite illustrations are sweet and tender. -- School Library Journal

Customer Reviews

Guinea Pigs?
I'm more alarmed that it's about guinea pigs running loose in the woods and gallivanting about at night. An owl could get them! Very un-guinea-pig-like behavior! As far as the same-sex thing goes, yeah, guinea pigs do that!

It's a nice book that gives kids a chance to discuss same-sex relationships at home before they go to school and encounter classmates who have a different assortment of parents than they do. Whether one is for or against same-sex relationships, they are a fact of life. Kids will be more comfortable knowing they exist rather than being surprised by their new friends' two moms or dads. And of course, the child who has two moms or dads will be happy to find a book that relates to his or her life.

Peaceful community of woodland creatures
The main characters of this book are Bobby, Chloe, and Jamie, who are guinea pigs. They live in a peaceful community of woodland creatures in a the countryside near a large body of water.

Bobby is Chloe's favorite uncle, which is why she is sad when he announces that he is getting married to Jamie. Luckily, Bobby, Jamie and Chloe get on well together and enjoy going to the ballet, sailing, playing board games (something like Monopoly, but not quite) and toasting marshmallows.

The first half of the book is written in a neutral way that makes it possible to think that Jamie is female, so I was surprised when we are told that Jamie is going to be Chloe's Uncle Jamie. (My two four year olds found this interesting but not particularly remarkable.) The rest of the book is about the preparations for the wedding and the day itself, and it ends with everyone dancing in the moonlight after the wedding.

No doubt many readers will find the subject matter controversial, but this does not alter the fact that this is a perfectly good story. The watercolor illustrations accompanying the story reminded me slightly of the Angelina Ballerina stories. We enjoyed this book.

Finally a book for gay uncles!
I learned about this book through the incident with the librarian in Colorado defending this gay-marriage storybook.

I was thrilled to learn there is now a book that I can read to my niece and nephews and normalize what is true about their gay uncle.

I have longed for a book like this as I married my partner in 2000 and want to explain to them that my marriage is just like their mommy and daddy's. Now I can!