My New Mom and Me

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.

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