Me and Ms. Too

Change can be hard for small children; there are stories that I would cry whenever my father would trim the bushes near the house! I can't imagine how hard it would be to have a new person, even a familiar one, enter a child's world. While there is a picture on the wall of a woman who can be presumed to be Molly's mother, we don't have any information about what happened to her, so it can be assumed that Molly has only been in the care of her father. It's hard to change routines, so it makes sense that as time goes on and Molly gets used to Ms. Too, she becomes more fond of her and is willing to accept the change. She does have QUITE the scowl on her face for most of the book.

Aside from Molly's expression, the pictures are very delightful. I picked this one up mainly because Ms. Too is a librarian, and because she has an awesome fashion sense, with brightly colored full skirts, fun eyeglasses, and the best accessories-- books and cups of tea! Ms. Too is very patient, and we can see her being near Molly but giving her space and time to accept her. The zoo backgrounds and the flowers and trees are particularly well done and remind me slightly of the children's books I remember reading in the 1960s, which is always a good thing!

There are decades worth of picture books about blended families, from Nancy Coffelt's 2000 Fred Stays with Me! to Harrington's 2017 My Blended Family, and books on the topic are as helpful as the plethors of new sibling books or books about moving homes that go back even further! This is also a great book about accepting change in general, whether it be a new babysitter or a different after school routine. The cover is appealing, and I'd love to read this with a small child and spend time looking for the illustrations of the adorable cats and dog!