Review of Emma and Meesha My Boy: A Two Mom Story by Kaitlyn Considine

Considine, Kaitlyn Taylor. Emma and Meesha My Boy : A Two Mom Story. New York: Xlibris Corporation, 2003.

This charming picture book tells the story of Emma and her chubby cat Meesha My Boy. Emma is a loving little girl who gives her cat lots of attention. Throughout the course of the book, her two moms help her figure out the right way to take care of her new pet. At first Emma wants to clothe her cat in a dress and shoes, but her moms tell her no. She also wants to share her lollipop but her moms tell her that cats do not eat candy. Then Emma learns to give her Meesha My Boy food, water, hugs and kisses.

The story has a rhyming cadence that can best appreciated when read aloud. This pattern gives the book a sing-song feel which adds lightness. “Pet his fuzzy fur and if you’re kind to him, You’ll hear his purr (Considine 23).” The vivid and playful pictures bring life to the simple words found on the page. Each page is very colorful and full of background details such as flowerpots and patterned wallpaper. The illustrations also show the emotions of the characters which range throughout the book. For example when Emma paints her cat brown, her cat’s eyes are wide while Emma is giggling. Also when Emma hugs and kisses Meesha My Boy, her moms are seen in the background smiling with their arms around each other. This shows not only the love between them but also how proud they are of their daughter’s changing behaviors.

While this book does encompass LGBTQ themes they are not blatant nor are the main focus. Emma’s parents, in this case two moms, are trying to teach her the correct way to be nice to her cat. This is a common experience being carried out by a non-traditional family. This book does a great job of showing that non-traditional families are just as ordinary as traditional families. No stereotypes are used in this picture book. On her website Considine notes that the two moms are, “They just are everyday parents guiding her to be nice to the cat. In this fashion, it celebrates the lesbian mom family as it is, living ordinary lives.”

Twomombooks.com presents more background information on the author and why she chose to write this book. Considine stated that she was tired of always seeing traditional family books and wanted a two mom story for her children. She continues, “It's important for children to see stories that show their types of families. I think this is true for single parent families, children raised by grandparents, interracial families, etc. There's a real void in story books for these types of non-traditional families.” Considine is an insider to the LGBTQ community and lives with her partner and two children in Connecticut (Considine, website).

Considine, Kaitlyn Taylor. "Two Mom Books." http://twomombooks.com/index.html.