In Our Mother's House

Title: In Our Mother’s House

Author: Patricia Polacco

Genre: Non-fiction, informational, diversity, biography

Summary: A little girl’s mother’s talked about how they walked through hot deserts, sailed through turbulent seas, flew over tall mountains and trekked through fierce storms just to bring her home. They would always get tears in their eyes when they talked about holding her for the first time, and three years later, her brother Will came to them. He was only three days old. Three years after Will came; Millie became a part of their family at two months old. The mothers were so different from each other. Meema was short and stout, and her family was Italian so she loved to cook. She was a pediatrician. Marmee was tall and thin, and she could fix just about anything. She was very organized. Marmee was a paramedic, so whenever there was an emergency, she was always calm and took charge. There was always music playing at home, too. The family lived in a big old brown house in Berkeley, California. Millie’s favorite place in the house was the living room. They found her one night, drawing on the walls, but it was so beautiful. The most favored place for all of the kids to be was in the sunroom above the carport, because all of their toys lived there. They played dress-up and every Halloween costume was up there. One year for Halloween, they dressed up as wild animals. Mrs. Lockner was the only neighbor who recognized them. It was one of the best Halloween’s! The bathroom upstairs was huge! One night, all of the kids had the flu at the same time, so they needed to fit in there which they did. Marmee and Meema came running in, together, and had a surprise. It was two puppies! One of the best things in the house was the tree house built in the backyard. It took several weekends to finish, but finally, it was done. They named it Thistle House. The night it was done, all of the kids slept in it. The kitchen in their mothers’ house was the center of everything that happened in the house. The kids measured at the entrance every year, and all of the family holidays began there. Their Italian grampa, nonno, was in charge of cooking. The kids always helped. They didn’t only eat at the table; everyone talked about everything, including politics, sports, music and art. After dinner, the kids sat with the grandparents and listened to stories about when they were young in the old country. It was the best part of the day. In their neighborhood, the Woolsey Street block party went on, organized by Marmee, and became a tradition. Each house on the street had their own game in their front yard. The McGuires had a land-mine contest. The Goldsteins had a penny toss on saucers. The Brooks family had a dunk tank and the Abdullas had a fishing booth. Their family had a miniature golf course, putting together by her, Marmee and Will. There was also a food court. The Mardicians brought stuffed grape leaves and grounded lamb. The Polos brought spanakopita and Greek salads. The Abdullas brought hummus and tabouli, and Nonno made spaghetti and fried schnitzel. The Lockner’s had been invited to this, but they didn’t come. They came storming down the street, and told Meema and Marmee that she doesn’t appreciate them. Everyone agreed that Mrs. Lockner just didn’t have any place for love in her heart. Everyone came over and hugged Meema and Marmee and stayed late to talk. They did anything for their children, and the children loved them so much. The little girl was the first to go away for medical school, and then Will left to study engineering. Millie went to New York to become a fashion designer. Their hearts never left their mothers. They celebrated holidays together at their mother’s house, sang at birthday parties there and cried together when they lost their gradnparents. They watched their mothers grow old together in that same house. They passed away within one year of each other. Will, Millie, and the girl placed them in a green hillside, overlooking the bay near the place they pledged their love to each other many years prior. Now, Will and his family live in their mother’s old house.

Characters: Will, Millie, girl, Meema, Marmee, families in their neighborhood, Mrs. Lockner

Plot: N/A

Theme: diversity, sexuality

Setting: Mother’s house

Opinion: I enjoyed reading this book, because it was about a family which had two mothers and no father. I think this is a good book, because it is absolutely realistic and it could help children understand how other people live. Some families don’t have a mother and a father to help their children, so I think it’s very important that children do understand that.