Mi nueva mamá y yo. My New Mom & Me

by Renata Galindo

La nueva mamá es una gata, naranja y rayada. Esta noble gata decide adoptar y cuidar a un perrito abandonado. Los dos son nuevos en esto. El perrito está aprendiendo a ser su hijo. Y la gata, a ser su madre. Están aprendiendo a ser una familia. Una familia distinta… Son muy diferentes… pero y ¡eso qué importa! Este libro nos demuestra que el amor y la ilusión es lo único que verdaderamente importa. Nada más.

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Adoption, Animals, Childrens, Fiction, Storytime

32 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2016

Reviews

[ElphaReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's a tip. Don't read this one at the public service desk if you don't want to be weeping and desperately trying to hide it.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my god. Just rip my heart right out of my body, why don't you?!

This is wonderful. A perfect, gentle book for talking about adoption or foster care. I like that the author uses animals instead of people, to give a little step back for kids to drawn conclusions on their own.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

An adoption story in which the (single) mother and the child do not look alike. A nice jumping off point for discussion about how families come in a variety of forms . . . and that's okay.

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet sweet story about a puppy who gets adopted by a Mama cat. Both have to get used to each other and it's not always easy. Topics covered in this books are adoption, single parent families, and diversity. I love the line, "Mom is learning how to be a mom and I'm learning how to be Mom's kid." I like that the book highlights that it isn't only the kids who has to learn in this situation.

[Deonna Hankerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a puppy who gets to live with his new mom who was a cat. At first he wanted to look like her so he painted stripes all over himself. His mom told him that he is fine and it is okay to be different. The puppy started to like that he was different. No matter what the mom was always there to save the day. I would incorporate this into my classroom to show students that everyone is different in their own way and you should embrace it rather than beat yourself up about it because everyone is special in their own way.

[Maritina Mela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review coming soon

[Deanna Sookikian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this children's book. I felt the author did a great job getting the main message across. I feel like in today's society, many children are finding new homes and it's important to have books with similar messages to this book. I would definitely include this book in my classroom. I feel that it's important because I feel that children sometimes forget their loved, but after they read this book, they remember they have loved ones at home.

[Garrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a lot of retrospect storyline that is missing here.

WHY WAS THAT DOG LIVING WITH THAT CAT?! WHERE WAS HIS NEW DAD AND/OR NEW OTHER MOM?! ARE THEY RELATED OR IS IT JUST A STRAIGHT ADOPTION?! WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE?!

But it's sweet, so who cares about background reading, right?

[Lina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Covers older child adoption and single parent adoption. The puppy that gets adopted by the cat had never had his own room before and is sad sometimes, so this also supposes unpleasant experiences before adoption. Likely foster care adoption themes.

The drawings are cute. The topic is kept very simple.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short and sweet children's book about adoption/new family about a cat (mom) and a dog (child)

"Mom is learning how to be my mom,
and I am learning how to be Mom's kid.
We are learning how to be a family."

[Lexi Morse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Told from the dogs POV, a cat adopts a dog. All though they are completely different, the 2 of them "are learning how to be a family."
This book would be very helpful in my classroom as adoption is a hard subject to try to explain to children who come from a "normal" mom and dad family.

[Woody Chichester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very, very sweet.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful picture book about adoption and the wonderfully loving, diverse families they create. I read this at my circulation desk and couldn't help tearing up.

[Isabela Aguilar]

This book is about a dog who is adopted by a cat and is worried about fitting in and if his new mom will care for him. I would use this book to show different types of families.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a perfect book for young children moving to a new foster or adoptive family. The narrator is a young puppy; there is no indication of whether the puppy is male or female, but it’s too hard to write a gender-free review, so I’m going to go with she/her/hers for the purposes of this review!

The puppy has come to live with her new mom, a cat. The puppy is worried at first because she doesn’t look like her new mom. She paints stripes all over her to try to fix that, “but Mom said I didn’t need fixing” and says she likes that they’re different. The puppy thinks maybe she likes it, too. On the next page, the illustrations depict a matching adult-child pair of cats with disapproving looks on their faces, and the text in parentheses is: (And who cares what anyone else thinks!) Mom plays with, reads to, and takes care of the puppy, doing all the things that moms do, “even the things that make me mad!” (In the illustrations, Mom is holding a toothbrush and pointing to the bathroom, while Puppy is sitting on the floor playing.) Sometimes the Puppy is sad or mad, but Mom gives Puppy a hug and “promises me we’ll be okay.”

My only qualm about this book is the ending: “She says that if we just try a little harder, tomorrow will be better.” (Illustrations of them baking together, then eating pancakes together on the last page, which says...) “...and it is!” On the one hand, it’s true that adjusting to a new family or family member takes hard work, and everyone needs to try and put in effort to make it work. On the other hand, I would hate for kids to think that when they feel sad or mad or otherwise bad, it’s because they and/or the parents didn’t try hard enough. I recommend that foster and adoptive parents consider that before reading this with a child, and be prepared to elaborate on everything - use the book as a conversation starter.

The illustrations are wonderful, and the faces of the animals are very expressive. The Cat and Puppy are depicted doing everyday activities - drawing, walking in the park, swinging, reading, baking. The emotions expressed by the Puppy are realistic and believable. Despite my qualm about the ending, I think this book could be very useful and reassuring for a child recently placed with a new family. I recommend it for ages 2-8 (more or less).

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the characters in this picture story about adoption are a cat and a dog, the story is easily applicable to humans. The softly-colored illustrations and simple text highlight many of the fears and anxieties surrounding becoming a part of a family, and the author doesn't make the process seem to be an easy transition. As the story demonstrates, there are even times with the dog doesn't like its new mother since she insists on following certain rules. From getting used to having a bed of one's own to learning how to make pancakes, the little one realizes that home is a safe place and together, mother and child will figure out just what it means to be a family. Reassuring in its simplicity and its honesty, this picture book would be perfect for sharing with youngsters as a reminder that families come in all shapes, sizes, and compositions, and sometimes the family members are very different from one another. In the end, all that matters is that there is shared love and respect seasoned with quite a lot of patience. Whether youngsters are dealing with loss, an adoption or foster family or even a new stepparent, this book just might ease the transition.

[orangerful · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a short little picture book, this packs a lot of emotional punch. Great for a family with an adopted child who doesn't look like them. Sweet, gentle and simple enough for a young child to understand and enjoy it.

[CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really cute illustrations, but it's really on a didactic book explaining adoption rather than an actual engaging story featuring adoption. I can see its function and how that's really important, but it's just not fun or interesting.

[Htrain · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute little story about adoption and families looking different but still being a family.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It almost made me cry at work.

[Roseanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having a sib who's adopted, and having numerous step parents, this book really resonated with me, and I'm sure with others as well. Wonderful!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet and sensitive book - and much needed for families who have adopted or fostered.

[Delaney Fischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful tale of a journey a child faces when they are adopted. 'My New Mom & Me' is a story about the challenges both the child and the Mother face when they are learning to become a family. At first it may seem difficult. You are faced with many challenges such as not looking alike, feeling comfortable in to a new home, and more. This book is a great way to describe why some kids may not look like their parents and why that should accepted and celebrated. Family is family no matter what it may look like from an outsider's perspective.

I would use this book in my classroom as a way to introduce the idea of adoption and show the normality of parents that may not look like their children. It can help my students who are adopted feel more comfortable and accepted while allowing the other kids to acknowledge them and accept them as well. It can help me grow my classroom library to fit more students of mine and again, make them feel more comfortable at school and around their peers.

[Hannah Reeves · Rating 4 out of 5]

This comforting story is the first book I have ever read about adoption. This story follows a puppy who has a new mom, which is a cat. The puppy is scared of this change and tries to change how he looks so that he looks more like his new mom (a cat). The mother reassures the puppy that there is no need to change who he is and that it is okay to be different. The new mom (cat) takes care of the puppy, plays with him, and supports him during this new change. This book portrays how families are formed differently, and that it is okay. It captures different emotions of being adopted and having a new parent. This picture book has a positive message that can be used to support young readers who are in single-parent households and are adopted. It is supportive and reassures that emotions are valid. However, I think the use of animals as main characters could be changed to human characters to make more of a connection to young students. I think this book could be helpful to students who have similar situations of being adopted and going through different emotions. When I read this book using a critical mindset, I thought of how this book might be using a cat and dog to portray families that have different races. It is unusual to read stories with a single parent, so I think this book can be used in several ways to comfort students who may be dealing with these situations. This can be used to bring awareness to differences in family structures and honor those differences (making them normalized). Students will come from many different family structures and it is important to acknowledge that not all families will have the “normal” structure set by society (mom, dad, and children). This can be used to represent those students who do not typically see their lived experiences in books.

[Abbie McKinley · Rating 5 out of 5]

My New Mom and Me is about a little puppy who experiences all the emotions of what it is like to be living with his new Mommy. Puppy was nervous about living with his new Mommy in his new home. He was worried about how he didn’t look like his Mom. He enjoyed living with Mommy, even though they are different. She takes care of him and plays with him, which makes puppy happy. But sometimes mommy still makes puppy mad, which also makes him feel sad. Mommy tells puppy that everything will get better - and it did! They are working together through all the emotions to be a family.
This book would be great to use and have in a classroom if you have any foster children, adopted children or even for children of blended families (new step moms/dads). I think it tells the message perfectly and simply. It is a pretty simple read with the cutest illustrations, having the story portrayed by a dog and cat. I would absolutely have this book in my classroom.

[Shannon Bedore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This children's book is a wonderful story about a cat mother and dog child who do not fit the typical family structure, but are just as much family as anyone else because the child experiences the same love and other moments that all well-loved children do from their parents. It is a kid-friendly way to showcase another family structure that may be unfamiliar for some young students, and it teaches the important lesson that it can be good to be different and that our differences don't always need fixing, especially when it comes to family.

I would use this book in my future classroom simply during story time or when talking with my students about families so they can be exposed to another important family structure they may live in or see. I think just including it in my library would also help normalize the notion that families can look different for everyone, but that these differences don't change the love that exists within them.

[Mirallegro, Marissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"My New Mom & Me" is a story about adoption with a mom cat adopting a little dog. The little dog is worried at first because they do not look the same, however the mom reassures the dog that it is ok. They get some strange looks from others because people assume a dog and a cat cannot belong to the same family. They go through some struggles and the dog gets upset at the mom sometimes, however she reassures the dog that things will get better. The little dog is learning how to be someone's child and the cat is learning how to be someone's mom. I really enjoyed this book because it is a great representation of adoption and the struggles that come with it. However, it gives a great message that it does not matter how it looks on the outside or what people say/think, it just matters that family cares for each other. I will definitely be reading this in my future classroom because I love the representation.

[Ryleigh Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the very few stories I have read about adoption, and this is definitely now my all time favorite. This is a heartwarming and comforting story about adoption and diversity, as well as being accepted for who you are. This enlightening story is told from the point of view of a puppy who is adopted by a cat. This story is an amazing story to provide to younger students, as it tells the tale of a puppy being adopted by a mother cat. By using animals, it is engaging and likely for children to understand and find comfort in. The puppy was nervous because it did not look like the mom, but it is easily understood and stated multiple times that the puppy is accepted for who it is, even if it does not resemble the mother cat. This gentle tale is perfect for very young readers and listeners to be introduced to the topics of adoption, diversity, and acceptance.

[Maggie McDonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story highlights the life of a young puppy, who has just recently started living with his new mom that looks slightly different from him. The puppy is nervous about living with someone that looks different from him, but when his mom tells him that she likes how they differ, he begins to as well. The puppy's mom does things that all parents do such as play, care for, and discipline their children. She always knows how to care for the puppy and lead him in the right direction. This book can be utilized in my future classroom to showcase how all families are different. Each child in my class will come from a different background and home life. This book can be used to show how some students may have parents that do not look like them due to adoption. This fuels discussions on adoption and the process of being adopted.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's pretty clear this is an adoption situation, and Galindo captures the emotions and experiences that come with such a big change. A cat adopting a dog perhaps illustrates the feeling of foreignness the child might experience. I don't know if it matters that it is a single-parent family, but that is certainly a reality today. My least-favorite line is, "But Mom promises me we'll be okay. She says that if we just try a little harder, tomorrow will be better." The best illustration is of the small dog flying off a swing, followed on the next page by being bandaged up by the mom. This could be a helpful book for an older adoptive child to work through their emotions.