Room for a Stepdaddy

Joey has trouble accepting his new stepfather, but the constant love of his father, mother, and stepfather finally convince him that there is love enough to go around for everybody

PreS-K--Joey's stepfather, Bill, tries to make friends, but the boy wants his real father. It takes most of his kindergarten year for him to understand that all the adults in his life love him and that he, too, has enough love to go around for all of them. When the winter holidays come, he prepares gifts for his mother, father, and stepfather, and the story ends with Joey snuggled up with Bill. His mother has very little presence in this story; she is mostly seen hovering in the background of the pleasant, colored-pencil illustrations. Instead the book focuses on the relationship between the boy and his two male role models. Although this is a simple, rosy picture of how reconstituted families manage to adjust, the basic message will be reassuring for youngsters who think that physical distance from loved ones cancels out affection. Palatable bibliotherapy.

Rosanne Cerny, Queens Borough Public Library, NY

Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc.