Donovan's Big Day

by Leslea Newman, Mike Dutton (Illustrator)

Overview

Donovan's two moms are getting married, and he can't wait for the celebration to begin. After all, as ringbearer, he has a very important job to do. Any boy or girl with same-sex parents—or who knows a same-sex couple—will appreciate this picture book about love, family, and marriage.  The story captures the joy and excitement of a wedding day while the illustrations show the happy occasion from a child's point of view.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781582463322
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	04/26/2011
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 10.70(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD1020L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

LESLÉA NEWMAN has written over 20 books for children including the best seller Heather Has Two Mommies. She has received many literary awards and is currently the Poet Laureate of Northampton, Massachusetts.

MIKE DUTTON has worked on children's books, comics, coloring books, landscape paintings, and video game art. He lives in Berkeley, California, with his wife, Alex, and their cat, Raven. He is an active blogger.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Review, School Library Journal, April 1, 2011:
"As in Newman’s Mommy, Momma and Me (Tricycle, 2009), this book broaches a controversial issue in an appealingly nonthreatening way."

Review, Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2011:
"Centered on the child’s experience and refreshingly eschewing reference to controversy, the book emerges as a celebration of not only Mommy’s and Mama’s mutual love but progress toward equal marriage rights for same-sex couples."

Editorial Reviews

Newman, who broke new ground with Heather Has Two Mommies (1989), returns with an overly earnest and curiously constructed story about a child's role in his same-sex parents' wedding, which follows such books as Uncle Bobby's Wedding (2008) and Mom and Mum Are Getting Married (2004). Newman doesn't reveal whose wedding it is until the final pages, instead devoting most of the story to lengthy descriptions of Donovan's preparations and observations. While she may have intended to build narrative tension before letting readers see that it's Donovan's Mommy and Mama at the altar, in reality it means wading through pages of run-on sentences that read like an instruction manual: "He had to tuck the little white satin box that Aunt Jennifer gave him into his inside jacket pocket and keep track of it at all times and not shake or crush it or squash it or lose it no matter what." Debut artist Dutton's digitally enhanced gouache paintings are bright and upbeat, clearly empathizing with the green-eyed hero's seriousness and pride. It's less about gay marriage than a child's wedding preparations—no matter who's getting hitched. Ages 4–7. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Review, School Library Journal, April 1, 2011:
"As in Newman’s Mommy, Momma and Me (Tricycle, 2009), this book broaches a controversial issue in an appealingly nonthreatening way."

Review, Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2011:
"Centered on the child’s experience and refreshingly eschewing reference to controversy, the book emerges as a celebration of not only Mommy’s and Mama’s mutual love but progress toward equal marriage rights for same-sex couples."

From the Publisher

Gr 1–3—When Donovan wakes up, he knows that he must dress quickly, eat carefully, and do everything just right because it is a very special day. At the end of the story, readers find out that he is the ring bearer at the wedding of his two mothers. When he plays his part without a hitch, he is rewarded with hugs and kisses from the happy brides. Newman and Dutton do a good job of capturing the excitement of a boy who knows he has an important job to do. They also successfully portray the idea that a wedding is a time of celebration. Not only Donovan but his grandparents and extended family are also excited about the big day, and all cry tears of joy at its happy ending. Child-friendly gouache illustrations capture Donovan's excited, self-conscious expressions as he moves carefully through his tasks. Dutton also includes details about the wedding, such as a teenage boy with his shirttails loose and the mother of one of the brides straightening her husband's tie, that give the story a familiar, comfortable feeling. As in Newman's Mommy, Momma and Me (Tricycle, 2009), this book broaches a controversial issue in an appealingly nonthreatening way.—Donna Cardon, Provo City Library, UT

School Library Journal