Mini Mia and Her Darling Uncle by Pija Lindenbaum is a quality piece of literature about a girl named Ella, nick-named Mini Mia be her favorit Uncle Tommy for her love of soccer. (After soccer great Mia Hamm.) Mini Mia adores spending time with her Uncle Tommy and is thrilled when her parents go out of town and she gets to spend time with him. But, now Uncle Tommy's friend Fergus joins them and Mini Mia does everything she can do to get rid of him and have her uncle to herself again. She is insanely jealous of Fergus and it is not until Uncle Tommy gets sick one day and cannot play with her that her and Ferfus must spend time together and she finds out that he is not so bad afterall. What I like about Lindenbaum's book is that there is no mention that Uncle Tommy and Fergus are a gay couple, it is just evident from the pictures when they make eye contact and look like a couple in love. I like that because in books about heterosexual couples it is not always mentioned that they are a couple, it is evident from the illustrations showing the same characterisics, so why should a homosexual couple be any different? Secondly, the fact that they are a gay couple is not the main focus, it is seen through a four year old's innocent jealousy and the un-biased love she has for her uncle regardless of his sexuality. The book is an excellent depiction of a four year old longing to have her favorite person all to herself and the angry feelings she feels towards the man taking that person away from her, a typical experience young children go through. It just so happens that her special person is gay.
One issue with the book I have is one page of illustrations. Uncle Tommy and Fergus take Mini Mia to the pool and she goes to the Women's locker room alone to get changed. It shows a naked rear end on the side of the page; which some may deem inappropriate. It is not necessary to the story, so I do not understand why it needed to be included. However, the quality of the story remains the same and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.
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