Product Description

This book is a sweet poem which shows families with mom and dad, two moms, and two dads. The large, colorful illustrations are great for group storytime or for one child sitting on your lap. Suitable for reading to children from newborns to 7-year-olds. The book also includes coloring pages as well as space for children to write their own family stories. Gay-friendly preschool literature is a long overdue resource for parents and teachers, both gay and straight. The author wants children with gay parents to feel included in the world of children's literature, and also wants to help straight parents provide their children with books which promote an appreciation of diversity.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1353880 in Books
• Published on: 2000-05-10
• Binding: Paperback
• 28 pages

Review
The book ... succeeds at representing a family that is still under-represented in literature. -- View magazine, "Parents's Place", Eugene Oregon, June 1997, page 17

From the Publisher
Children who learn to appreciate diversity when they are toddlers are more likely to become tolerant teenagers. They will be kinder to their gay peers, and will be less likely to feel shame if they themselves turn out to be gay. Statistically speaking, some of the wonderful children I have cared for at my day care center will probably discover when they reach puberty that they are gay. I don't want homophobia to be the future cause of death for even one of my precious toddlers. The more we can do now to erase homophobia, the safer all our children will be in the future. Critics who feel that toddlers are too young to learn about homosexuality need to realize that children begin to learn about the world around them from the day they are born. Homosexuals are simply part of the human landscape. If three-year-old Sarah is walking in the park with her father when she notices two men walking hand-in-hand, she is "learning about" homosexuality, even though she cannot define the word. Her father has a perfect opportunity at this time to answer her questions by simply stating that when people grow up they sometimes fall in love with another person. Some people fall in love with someone of the opposite sex and some people fall in love with someone of the same sex, but what is important is the love they feel for each other. Sarah has just "learned" to appreciate diversity, and in my opinion we are never to young for that.

From the Author
Gay-friendly preschool books are a long overdue resource for parents and educators, both gay and straight. It is my hope that future generations will live in a world where discrimination and bigotry are known only through history classes.

Customer Reviews

I really want to like this book...
As a (straight) mother who wants her kids to understand and empathize with the gay adults in their lives, I feel strongly that there's a need for books with this message. I bought this book in particular because of the emphasis on the love between the grown-ups, as opposed to other such books where the adults are viewed primarily as *parents* rather than as people in loving grown-up relationships, who may also have children.

Unfortunately, the verse is at a sub-Hallmark level. Yes, the words at the end of the lines rhyme, but the lines don't scan and the phrasing is forced. I cannot bring myself to read this book out loud - it's just too painful.

If your tolerance for bad poetry is greater than mine, by all means get this book for your kids. For me, though, that's not exactly the kind of tolerance I'd hoped to focus upon :-)

Also, be aware that although the book is described as having 28 pages, the story is only 12 pages long. (a picture and four lines of cringe-inducing verse on each) Then the entire story is repeated in coloring-book form.

Subtle and Sweet
"When Grown-Ups Fall In Love" is a simply stated matter of fact look at families. What is a family? Ms. Edmonds writes, "It's love that makes a family, not tradition or convention; but laughter and hugs...and a smile that can melt away your tension."

The colorful illustrations of mom's and dad's spending quality time with their children help bring to life a well-organized and subtle story about who makes a family. I particularly like how the author draws the child in to the story by asking him/her to personalize their book with family photographs and a short story about his/her own family. The second half of the book contains a coloring book of "When Grown-Ups Fall in Love". The child can let his/her imagination soar as he/she decides how to color the pages.

My son and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book together. My partner and I have always taught our son the importance of family and that love makes a family. It is nice to have a book help to reinforce those values. I highly recommend this book to all open-minded individuals who want to raise healthy happy children with a strong sense of family no matter who lives in their home.

Serves a growing need in our community!
This book is quite groundbreaking, and is excellent in the way it portrays our differences as not-so-different to children. In it, children learn that love, and not necessarily tradition structure, make a family. Very thoughtful, well-written - a must have in any child's collection! When Grownups Fall in Love, and many more like it, are the focus of our website, www.[...].com, which caters to gay parents and their children.