Stella Brings the Family by Miriam B. Schiffer (review)

Stella, who lives with her two dads, has no mother to bring to the school Mother’s Day celebration, and she’s not sure whom to bring. Her classmates try to help her by asking questions (“Who packs your lunch?” “Who reads you stories?” “Who kisses you when you are hurt?”). As a result, Stella decides to invite all the people who care for her: her two dads, her grandmother, her aunt, her uncle, and her cousin (“Stella had the biggest crowd of all”). There is nothing didactic in Stella’s tale; it is simply the story of a little girl faced with a problem and who, with a little help from understanding classmates, comes up with a working solution. It’s implausible that Stella’s teacher would not be familiar with and thereby sensitive to Stella’s family structure by that point in the school year (and she also wouldn’t be blind to her student’s week-long distress), but overall the story matter-of-factly validates a variety of family structures. Clifton-Brown’s watercolor illustrations, touched with tiny ink details and colored-pencil-style textures, are laden with warmth and character; though the faces are all drawn to much the same template, Stella’s classmates are a cheerfully diverse lot, and the school day is authentically lively. Ultimately, this is a tender story about the variety of people that make children feel loved and supported, and it will resonate with many young listeners.