Grown-Ups
Book Review: My Uncle’s Wedding by Eric Ross
Talk about the perfect wedding! Mike and Steve are getting married and their wedding includes the joy, love, family, and dose of humor every wedding should. Told from the perspective of Mike’s nephew Andy, My Uncle’s Wedding fills a gap in children’s literature of stories featuring kids with other LGBT family members, not just moms and dads.
When Andy is told that his uncle is getting married to his boyfriend, Steve, all Andy hears is that there’s going to be a party. The book focuses throughout on Andy’s excitement in helping to plan the wedding: cake testing, flower choosing, and meal planning. Every scene has an element of fun. For example, when Andy’s mother makes him try on suits we see him in a too-large suit, looking skeptical; a too-small suit, looking awkward; and a just-right suit, looking very pleased with his snazzy appearance.
The story is refreshingly cheerful, and leaves no doubt about the future happiness of its characters: “After Uncle Mike and Steve were married, everyone was happy.” And Andy has learned that not only are weddings fun to plan, they are great because Mike and Steve love each other and Andy gets another uncle. Love and family are the true focuses of the story.
The book’s design contributes to its sense of festivity. Bright colors and bold geometric shapes decorate the pages—there is nothing muted about the pictures or the joyful feelings they inspire.
My Uncle’s Wedding is illustrated by Tracy K. Greene and available at Amazon.com.
Author
Staff Writer Hannah Crawford graduated from Carleton College with a major in English and a concentration in Latin American Studies. Apart from reading, her great love is theater, which is one of the many reasons she is very excited to have recently moved to Minneapolis.
