Summary
Riley’s dads take her to school where the other students ask her who her real dad is because they don’t understand how she can have two, and their families are different. Riley doesn’t want to choose because she knows she is like both her dads in different ways. When they pick her up, they explain how families have all different people and structures, and their family is unique, so she doesn’t have to choose. She can have both dads.
Theme(s):
Family, LGBTQ+, Nontraditional Families
Personal Response
I think this book is a great way to normalize different family structures and why it is important for kids and adults to be sensitive to whatever adults kids may be living with. The book explains how extended families, blended families, single parents, or LGBTQ+ parents can be an important part of a person’s life. Although I have a mom and a dad, I know other friends did not feel like their families were represented in books or in school.
Teaching Ideas
This book would be great for a beginning-of-the-year read-aloud where teachers discuss students’ identities and families. It could open up conversations about different family structures which connects to social studies standards and learning about community and family. This book could also be used to compare and contrast Riley’s experience to other book characters who feel isolated or confused by things their peers say for different reasons.
Recommended Reading Level
Birth-PreK, Grade 01, Grade 02
