Uncle What-Is-It Is Coming by Michael Willhoite

by Michael Willhoite

Igor and Tiffany learn that their gay uncle is coming to visit... but their mother is interrupted before she can explain what "gay" means. The two children are alarmed when some older kids tell them what to expect. "Do we really want to meet this uncle?" they wonder. But the stereotypes are shattered when Uncle Brett finally arrives.

Genres: Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Childrens, Picture Books, LGBT

Hardcover

First published July 1, 1993

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good look at what kids interpret the word "gay" means. A delightful read and great to use with older kids who sling around slurs without really realizing what they are saying.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Igor and Tiffany learn that their gay Uncle is coming to visit. Igor and Tiffany are unsure of what this means, and expect the worse. But when their uncle arrives, he shatters all stereotypes! This is a great book to introduce students to a touchy subject. Political correctness meets retrograde thinking in this story that helps students learn about the world around them. The book is set for ages 7 and up.

[Lineia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Checked it before adding in the library register.
This book is terrible. The idea behind it is not to judge someone based on stereotypes. The result? Advancing stereotypes, presenting them as terrifying to kids for no actual reason, and then say that gay people are not all like that.
In this book, the kids are actually terrified at the idea of meeting an uncle who would be a drag queen or a leather daddy. And those types of gay people are thrown under the bus, seen as deviants kids would never want to have in their family, but it's okay cause, really, gays are not all like that. Those who are though? Yeah, those are not respectable.

Far from helping kids learn not to judge on stereotypes, the book teaches them, and teaches that it is bad to be effeminate (even if you're in a movement furthering the rights of LGBTQIA people, like Stonewall) or queer. It never questions homophobia, and presents it as a given. The kids reaction, which has no actual basis, is very telling.

Do not use that book to teach your children about homophobia.

[Jailene Soto · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book could be read to children and I could talk about how we should not stereotype people. Some language is quite offensive though (fag, queer) so I am not completely sure if I would read it to them

[Jordan Smith]

Summary: This book is about two little kids who find out that their distant uncle is coming into town to visit them and their family. They have never met their uncle before, but they do know one thing about him—he is gay. When the two children learn that their uncle is gay, they go around their neighborhood and school asking people if they know what gay is or means because they do not know. Their neighbors and friends at school each tell the children a different story about what they believe and understand gay to be. The day the children’s uncle comes to visit they are terrified to meet him because they have heard so many things about being gay. However, once their uncles gets there and the children see and find out that he is completely normal and just like everybody else, they are so happy to see and meet him.

Activity: As a future educator, I would personally not have this book sitting on my bookshelf for any student to pick or share this book with every student in my class. I would not do this because I feel that this book is way too controversial and some of my students’ parents would not want them reading a book such as this one. Instead, I would have a special bookshelf in my classroom that only I could reach and know where it is and that would be the place where I kept books that were much more controversial such as this one. If one of my students had a question about being gay or wanted to learn more about what being gay meant or is, then I would offer them this book to read with parents’ permission. This book is a very serious book on a controversial topic, but if the parents were okay with their child reading it, the book does also incorporate a lot enough humor and presents the topic of gay in a way which is easy for a child to understand.

[Jacey Hull]

This a good book to help children learn to not judge people based on stereotypes.

[Kaytlyn Witcher]

Uncle What-Is-It is Coming To Visit is about two little kids who find out their distant uncle is coming. They have never met their uncle, however, the only thing they know about him is that he is gay. So the two little kids go around their neighborhood and school asking people they know what gay is. Each and every person has a different story about what they believe and understand gay to be. The day the children’s uncle comes to visit they are terrified to meet him. However, once he gets there they find out he is just like everybody else. He just likes a guy.

Classroom: I personally would not share this book in class. This book is way too controversial. However, I would keep this book in my desk. When one of my students has a question about being gay or what gay is I would offer them this book. It would be a intimidating book but it would give the subject of gay enough humor for a child to understand.

[Kara Duncan]

Unfortunately, the topic of homosexuals is one that is still taboo to this day. Uncle What-is-it is Coming to Visit is such a cute way to address this topic while staying light hearted and fun. This book goes around asking what is a 'gay man.' The book shows how without asking the right person about a topic such as this you will get many mixed responses. Tiffany and Igor ask around what is a gay man, but they get many differing answers. Finally they meet Uncle Brett and learn he is just a normal guy who loves another guy. Moral of the story, we are all the same no matter who we love.
Again, I would use this book in my independent library. We never know the struggles our students are facing, wether it be feeling different within themselves or having a different family dynamic, this book can help with issues such as those.

[Kelsea Breedlove · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uncle What-Is-It is Coming To Visit!! Is told from two little kids perspective about what gay is to them. They know their uncle is coming to visit and that he is gay, however they never get the change to learn what gay really means from their mother before their heads are filled with tons of stereotypes of what it means when someone in your family is gay. Throughout the story you learn about how people judge others before even getting to know them, and what making judgments of someone does. In my classroom, I could use this story when talking about how everyone is equal and how we should not judge someone just based off of what we hear about them. Introduce what stereotypes are and how words towards others can be harmful and hurtful.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. "Uncle What-Is-It is Coming to Visit!!" by Michael Willhoite
2. Awards: none
3. Genre: diversity and inclusion
4. Setting: The children's home and neighborhood
5. This book would be one which I would put on my special book shelf which contains sensitive subject books. This one would be used if people were struggling with misconceptions about people who are gay, lesbians, or acceptance in general. It gives a realistic depiction of what a gay man is without be too graphic or unkind.

[Bella · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book manages to have the words “leather queen” in it, which I found hysterical. I like the art in this book way better than Willhoite’s other books, and it’s honestly an adorable story. It’s funny too, both in the drawings of the different gay people the kids are imagining, and in totally unrelated stuff, like the mom’s face when she burns the brussel sprouts. That’s the kind of humor I want in a kid’s book.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is about two kids who get scared when their mother tells them their gay uncle is coming to visit. They do not know what gay means and they are told all different stereo types by neighborhood kids. This is a great book on diversity as well as stereo types on GLBT.

[Paige Partlow]

This book is about a group of children whose uncle is coming to town. It discusses language, confusion, and gay relationships. This book is appropriate for 5th to 6th grade. This book would be very relatable for children who deal with similar life situations.

[Jesse Albers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gay uncle coming to visit

Not sure if I would read this to my class, but could be used to explain to children (of the appropriate age) about "being different"