¿Mamá, sólo hay una?

K-Gr 2—These vibrant Spanish-language picture books celebrate adoption and blended families. In ¿Mamá, sólo hay una? two girls take turns praising their mothers until one says that she has two mothers—her birth mother and her adoptive mother. The other girl accuses her of lying. The adopted girl, with the help of some friends, explains that yes, it is possible for her to have two mothers. Ultimately, she says, what matters isn't how children end up with their mothers but that their mothers love them. ¡Qué grande eres, Papá! follows a similar story line, with a boy and a brother and sister celebrating their fathers. Another child mentions that his birth father left before he was born, so his stepfather is raising him with his mother. The same lesson is imparted, this time with the help of a friend who has a single dad. Both of these books are serviceable introductions to adoption and blended families and boast colorful, attractive illustrations. There is no mention of families with parents of the same gender. There's also a reinforcement of traditional gender roles—the two mothers in Mamá are praised as beautiful, nice, and smart and work as an office administrator and a teacher, while the first two fathers mentioned in Papá are smart, strong, and brave and work as a mechanic and a veterinarian. It is refreshing to see that the third father takes care of the housework, but even that gets put into a gendered context when it is said that he does it just as well as mom.