Uncle's Bobby's Wedding is the story of a gerbil (or some other rodent?) who is really close with his niece. His niece becomes alarmed when she finds out that her uncle Bobby is going to get married; she wants him to still be her best friend. The kicker is that he is marrying another male gerbil. Once the niece realizes that Jamie, her new uncle, is really nice, it all works out and they are best buds.
What I feel is odd about this book, is that the fact that the marriage is between a gay couple is not ever really mentioned. Which is fine, obviously that was the author's intent, I just wish she would have made it a little more obvious. Bobby's partner's name is Jamie which could be a male or female name, and in the story Jamie is wearing a purple vest... With the characters being rodents, I didn't even realize Jamie was a man until someone told the niece she was going to have two uncles now. The author being so inconspicuous with the characters made the read a little confusing. If I was confused reading through the book, I have to imagine that a 2nd or 3rd grader would also be.
Even with its faults, I feel the book does send a really good message. It shouldn't be a big deal if a gay couple wants to get married. I like that, and because of that, I wouldn't be afraid to have this book in my classroom. I feel like gay rights will be the next big civil rights movement here in America. We as teachers, should be prepared to tackle some of these issues in our classrooms.
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