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Stella Brings the Family
Stella's class is having a Mother's Day celebration, but what's a girl with two daddies to do? It's not that she doesn't have someone who helps her with her homework, or tucks her in at night. Stella has her Papa and Daddy who take care of her, and a whole gaggle of other loved ones who make her feel special and supported every day. She just doesn't have a mom to invite to the party. Fortunately, Stella finds a unique solution to her party problem in this sweet story about love, acceptance, and the true meaning of family.
36 pages, Hardcover
First published May 5, 2015
About the author
Miriam B. Schiffer
1 book9 followersMiriam B. Schiffer is a co-author of the children's book review column "The Reading Chair" in Young Children, a journal of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. This is her first book for children. She lives in Brooklyn.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 300 reviews
June 23, 2024
What happens when the teacher creates a “Happy Mother’s Day” event in the classroom and asks all the kids to invite their mother, but Stella don’t have a Mom?
Better yet, Stella is lucky because she has a Papa and a Daddy. And, not only that she has a Nonna, an Aunt Gloria, an Uncle Bruno and a Cousin Lucy. Why not invite everybody?
Her teacher didn’t say she only could invite her Mother!
So that is exactly what Stella does.
So, what identifies a family? A mother? A father?
This truly is a wonderful conversation book for kids with parents and teachers alike that is delightfully illustrated.
Reading Level: Ages 5 – 7 years
Better yet, Stella is lucky because she has a Papa and a Daddy. And, not only that she has a Nonna, an Aunt Gloria, an Uncle Bruno and a Cousin Lucy. Why not invite everybody?
Her teacher didn’t say she only could invite her Mother!
So that is exactly what Stella does.
So, what identifies a family? A mother? A father?
This truly is a wonderful conversation book for kids with parents and teachers alike that is delightfully illustrated.
Reading Level: Ages 5 – 7 years
January 23, 2021
This book was illustrated beautifully. I want to live in Stella’s world, where having gay parents isn't really a big deal. In the book, many different definitions of 'family' are displayed. I do think the book had a hiccup at the end. After Stella solves her Mother's Day problem, a classmate of hers (that has two moms) worries about Father's Day and who he'll invite. It would've been much more meaningful if that boy wasn’t worried about it anymore because he learned from Stella's definition of what truly makes a family.
November 3, 2018
I actually found this book kind of sad. All the little kids in Stella's class have been so indoctrinated by the idea of what moms do and what dads do that their thinking has become very rigid along stereotypical gender lines. Apparently, dads can't make lunches or read bedtime stories or kiss boo-boos. It's great that Stella ends up showing her classmates that men can do all of the stereotypical "motherly" things, but she shouldn't have had to. That's not the book's fault, though; it's society's.
The illustrations are really cute, although the e-book edition I read was awful (the text for each picture was a page ahead, so until I figured that out, I was a bit lost; when are the people who convert these things going to start paying more attention?). The pictures tell the story as much as the text does. I especially liked how Howie (who has two moms) was already wondering what he was going to do for Father's Day!
This book isn't so much about acceptance as it is about coming up with a solution to a problem. If Stella doesn't have a mom to bring to the Mother's Day celebration, what will she do? She figures it out in the end, and shows her classmates that parents aren't the only people who can make a family unit.
Quotable moment:
The illustrations are really cute, although the e-book edition I read was awful (the text for each picture was a page ahead, so until I figured that out, I was a bit lost; when are the people who convert these things going to start paying more attention?). The pictures tell the story as much as the text does. I especially liked how Howie (who has two moms) was already wondering what he was going to do for Father's Day!
This book isn't so much about acceptance as it is about coming up with a solution to a problem. If Stella doesn't have a mom to bring to the Mother's Day celebration, what will she do? She figures it out in the end, and shows her classmates that parents aren't the only people who can make a family unit.
Quotable moment:
But Stella had two dads.
Everyone else had a mother. Howie had two!
Stella would be the only one without a mother at the Mother's Day party.
May 21, 2015
Teachers who plan Mother's and Father's Day celebrations would do well to pay attention to this book since many children live in families that are less traditional than they might expect. In fact, there are plenty of children without mothers or fathers in their home. Stella has the opposite dilemma. She has two fathers--Papa and Daddy--who take care of her but no mother. As her classmates help her try to figure out who to invite to the class celebration, she struggles since her two fathers and her extended family all provide the nurturing mothers often provide. Finally, she decides to bring her whole family. As she leaves school after reassuring her teacher that she will only have two guests for Father's Day, a youngster with two mothers can be seen worrying about who to invite for that celebration. The watercolor illustrations and simple text celebrate the ever-changing faces of how today's families are defined and depicted.
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August 10, 2017Really loved it. I don't read books in story time that are based on a mom or dad or grandma or grandpa because you never know who someone has in their life, and who may be upset to know they don't have that special person. I love that this book tackled that in a very sweet way. Also, I LOVE the illustrations!
June 22, 2019
This book shows how one classroom finds a way to make a Mother's Day celebration inclusive for a young girl with two fathers.
The story shows a very diverse classroom and Stella discovers that she is not the only one with non-traditional family guests, as one classmate has two mothers and another brings his grandmother since his mom is deployed with the military.
The watercolor illustrations are colorful and cartoonish and are sure to appeal to younger children.
Overall, it's a fast read and helps to show that families are made up of the people who love us and care for us, and may not fit the typical mold, and that's okay.
The story shows a very diverse classroom and Stella discovers that she is not the only one with non-traditional family guests, as one classmate has two mothers and another brings his grandmother since his mom is deployed with the military.
The watercolor illustrations are colorful and cartoonish and are sure to appeal to younger children.
Overall, it's a fast read and helps to show that families are made up of the people who love us and care for us, and may not fit the typical mold, and that's okay.
May 28, 2021
Kaži kas nutiktų Lietuvos leidyklai, išdrįsusiai išleisti šią knygutę vaikams?
March 17, 2017
An adorable picture book about a little girl with two fathers and her worries about Mother's Day.
When I spotted this little picture book, I just had to read it. There aren't that many books that feature this kind of topic (though I would highly cheer for there to be more of them).
Plus of course, being a cover lover, when I saw the cover I wanted to see more of the art. :)
The story is about Stella, about her class who is having a Mother's Day celebration. Normally this wouldn't form a problem, but Stella doesn't have a mom. She got 2 daddies. One she calls Daddy and one she calls Papa (soooo cute!). It worries her so much that she isn't paying attention to anything, she lost her appetite. I wish the teacher had taken her aside, or even just spoke to her afterwards to talk to her. Now this poor girl is worrying, not only about who to bring, but also about the fact she doesn't have a mom.
It was quite cute how she explained to her classmates what her daddies did. Who told the stories, who gave the kisses, who prepared the food. I just had this big smile on my face. This girl was so tiny, but could clearly tell them about her dads.
Plus the kids were really accepting of the fact she had 2 dads.
In the end the solution was pretty adorable, and I was happy for Stella. Of course the title already spoils the outcome, but eh, it was fun to see how it finally came to that point.
I had a laugh how the teacher was all puckered out, and how Stella walked up to her to apologise and already give an advance warning about Father's Day.
The art was really cute, it is quite fun to see how much detail there is in the hair, especially if you compare that to the backgrounds. :P
All in all, definitely a book that I would highly recommend. Not only is it cute, but it is also about an important topic.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
When I spotted this little picture book, I just had to read it. There aren't that many books that feature this kind of topic (though I would highly cheer for there to be more of them).
Plus of course, being a cover lover, when I saw the cover I wanted to see more of the art. :)
The story is about Stella, about her class who is having a Mother's Day celebration. Normally this wouldn't form a problem, but Stella doesn't have a mom. She got 2 daddies. One she calls Daddy and one she calls Papa (soooo cute!). It worries her so much that she isn't paying attention to anything, she lost her appetite. I wish the teacher had taken her aside, or even just spoke to her afterwards to talk to her. Now this poor girl is worrying, not only about who to bring, but also about the fact she doesn't have a mom.
It was quite cute how she explained to her classmates what her daddies did. Who told the stories, who gave the kisses, who prepared the food. I just had this big smile on my face. This girl was so tiny, but could clearly tell them about her dads.
Plus the kids were really accepting of the fact she had 2 dads.
In the end the solution was pretty adorable, and I was happy for Stella. Of course the title already spoils the outcome, but eh, it was fun to see how it finally came to that point.
I had a laugh how the teacher was all puckered out, and how Stella walked up to her to apologise and already give an advance warning about Father's Day.
The art was really cute, it is quite fun to see how much detail there is in the hair, especially if you compare that to the backgrounds. :P
All in all, definitely a book that I would highly recommend. Not only is it cute, but it is also about an important topic.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
June 28, 2024
Another cute 😍 story 📖 about how family can be many different things and each is wonderful in their own way :).
June 18, 2019
I loved this book, because it's a relatable story about how not all families are alike. This story is about a little girl named Stella who has two dads. Her teacher plans a Mother's Day event, and Stella, not having a mother figure in her life, takes her dads instead. Cute message about diversity and families and love, but it DOES beg the question...why couldn't Stella just wait until Father's Day?
I grew up without my father and had to do alllllll the father's day crapola my teacher's planned in elementary school. And you know what it taught me? Arts n crafting skills, inclusivity, patience and...that not all families are the same. I would give my Father's Day craftings to my uncles and boy cousins, who were all surrogate dads to me. This could be a great series of books centering around Sophie and all of the other people in her life who fill that absence. I didn't have my dad, but I had many "Dads".
So, great book, but it made me think, of course.
I grew up without my father and had to do alllllll the father's day crapola my teacher's planned in elementary school. And you know what it taught me? Arts n crafting skills, inclusivity, patience and...that not all families are the same. I would give my Father's Day craftings to my uncles and boy cousins, who were all surrogate dads to me. This could be a great series of books centering around Sophie and all of the other people in her life who fill that absence. I didn't have my dad, but I had many "Dads".
So, great book, but it made me think, of course.
July 4, 2016
GLBT Book Month Challenge, book 10/10.
A Mother's Day party at school sends Stella, who has two dads, into a quandary. My favorite part of this story is that one of Stella's classmates is a boy with two moms, and when, at the end of the book, Stella looks forward to inviting her dads to the Father's Day party, there's a moment where you see the boy begin his own "Who do I invite?" crisis--just a little "here we go again" giggle moment.
I did have a few qualms with the assumption made that everyone in Stella's class had family who could drop everything to come to a middle-of-the-day party--when I was in school, my guess is that half the class would have had no one to come to the party regardless of relation just because their parents worked or didn't have reliable transportation. This is clearly an upper middle class community. Otherwise, a sweet story.
A Mother's Day party at school sends Stella, who has two dads, into a quandary. My favorite part of this story is that one of Stella's classmates is a boy with two moms, and when, at the end of the book, Stella looks forward to inviting her dads to the Father's Day party, there's a moment where you see the boy begin his own "Who do I invite?" crisis--just a little "here we go again" giggle moment.
I did have a few qualms with the assumption made that everyone in Stella's class had family who could drop everything to come to a middle-of-the-day party--when I was in school, my guess is that half the class would have had no one to come to the party regardless of relation just because their parents worked or didn't have reliable transportation. This is clearly an upper middle class community. Otherwise, a sweet story.
February 15, 2024
This was a cute story, but also an important one for a number of reasons! It normalizes families who do not fit the "one mom, one dad" mold, but I also think it's an important message for educators to strive for more inclusivity. Stella's teacher wants to throw a "Mother's Day party" but doesn't seem to consider Stella, who has two dads, or any other hypothetical child in the class who's mother may have passed, may not be in the picture, can't get off of work for a school party, or children who don't have a relationship with their mother. I think this is a great reminder that as educators, we need to consider that family dynamics are all vastly different and having "Dads Day" or "Moms Day" just isn't inclusive anymore (has it ever really been inclusive though?).
November 17, 2017
Stella Brings the Family is a book about a young girl with two dads. Her class is having a Mother's Day celebration and she gets worried about who she will invite. This is a great book with such a realistic situation. When schools have these sorts of celebrations, they can be discriminating against those families who may not have a "mother" but a grandmother, guardian, two dads, etc. The book gives examples of how other students are asking who does things, like bedtime kisses like their moms, but she says my dads do all that. It's a great comparison and the young girl ends up inviting everyone from her family that loves her just as much as anyone's mom would.
November 11, 2019
Worried what to do when your school celebrates Mother's or Father's Day? So are the kids in this book. Worried about the over-representation of redheads in children's literature? This book won't help.
March 10, 2017
A story about different types of families with wonderful illustrations.
May 23, 2023
RECENSIONE A CURA DI SLANIF
Non è la prima volta che mi trovo a recensire un libro per bambini a tematica LGBTQ+ per questo blog, ma sono sempre ben felice di farlo, perché è dall’infanzia che si formano le persone e qualunque insegnamento positivo possa arrivare ai nostri bambini, è quello che ci serve per creare adulti accoglienti e consapevoli che non esiste niente di “normale” e niente di “diverso”; siamo tutti “umani”, ognuno con un colore di pelle, una religione (o nessuna), una sessualità, una famiglia formata da mamma e papà o da mamma e mamma o da papà e papà. E che tutte queste cose, nonostante possa sembrare che ci dividano, in realtà ci uniscono e ci arricchiscono.
È così che è la famiglia di Stella: formata da lei, babbo e papà.
Continua sul nostro blog!
Non è la prima volta che mi trovo a recensire un libro per bambini a tematica LGBTQ+ per questo blog, ma sono sempre ben felice di farlo, perché è dall’infanzia che si formano le persone e qualunque insegnamento positivo possa arrivare ai nostri bambini, è quello che ci serve per creare adulti accoglienti e consapevoli che non esiste niente di “normale” e niente di “diverso”; siamo tutti “umani”, ognuno con un colore di pelle, una religione (o nessuna), una sessualità, una famiglia formata da mamma e papà o da mamma e mamma o da papà e papà. E che tutte queste cose, nonostante possa sembrare che ci dividano, in realtà ci uniscono e ci arricchiscono.
È così che è la famiglia di Stella: formata da lei, babbo e papà.
Continua sul nostro blog!
May 31, 2020
I found Stella Brings the Family by Miriam B. Schiffer on the Welcoming Schools’ “Great LGBTQ Inclusive Picture & Middle Grade Books” list. This book was also put on the Rainbow Project Book list in 2016. In this story, Stella’s class is having a Mother’s Day celebration. Stella worries because she has two dads and is not sure who she should bring to the celebration. Stella decides to invite many of her family members to the celebration because they all love and care for her. I love the illustrations in this book because they vividly depict how Stella is feeling at each moment in the book. The illustrations are realistic and I think they would appeal to younger elementary students. When I was reading an article on the Welcoming School’s website, they brought up the point that many LGBTQ+ books introduce the idea of having two moms or two dads as an “issue”. I believe Stella Brings the Family at first follows this same pattern. Because of that fact, I would caution teachers to not let this be the only book that portrays a diverse family structure. However, I do think the book overall has a positive message and portrays a diverse community at Stella’s school. I read this book on YouTube. The reader was clear and read at an appropriate pace. The reader also showed the whole book so the text and illustrations were easy to read and see.
January 20, 2016
I read this directly after the new edition of "Heather Has Two Mommies," and they form a perfect pair. While "Heather" covers families with two women as parents, Stella's family has two men--her Papa and Daddy. But that's not all a family is! There's also aunts and uncle, grandmas and grandpas, and lots of others, and Stella decides that if she doesn't have a mother to bring for Mother's day, she'll just bring the whole clan!
As with "Heather," the illustrator does a great job of shows the children as lively and diverse, with many ethnic backgrounds shown. As with "Heather," however, there are no differently-abled children, nor parents. Not a deal-breaker, but something to keep in mind.
Something I particularly liked was one child bringing "his grandmother while his mom was away." It's ambiguous, which leaves space for kids in tough situations to find their own representation. Sick parent? Away on business? Jail? Or many other options. It's just a nice touch.
Pair this with "Heather" and a book on adoption, and possibly others, depending on the situations of your classroom.
As with "Heather," the illustrator does a great job of shows the children as lively and diverse, with many ethnic backgrounds shown. As with "Heather," however, there are no differently-abled children, nor parents. Not a deal-breaker, but something to keep in mind.
Something I particularly liked was one child bringing "his grandmother while his mom was away." It's ambiguous, which leaves space for kids in tough situations to find their own representation. Sick parent? Away on business? Jail? Or many other options. It's just a nice touch.
Pair this with "Heather" and a book on adoption, and possibly others, depending on the situations of your classroom.
February 28, 2018
This story has nice illustration and is interesting to children that can relate, or wonder about what it is like to have two dads. The story offers a variety of things to think about and could raise good conversations with children. The topic of this book was portrayed appropriately for young children. Kids will recognize the problem and resolution easily because they may be familiar with classroom parties and dilemmas in other circumstances.
I like how this book shows diversity within families by having grandparents, aunts, uncles, and even female same-sex parents. However, I feel like it was counterproductive when the other classmate with two moms looked puzzled and insecure when planning for father's day. I would think the moral of the story helps kids be proud of their family and recognize their parents for who they are but it is showing that the classmate didn't learn that.
I like how this book shows diversity within families by having grandparents, aunts, uncles, and even female same-sex parents. However, I feel like it was counterproductive when the other classmate with two moms looked puzzled and insecure when planning for father's day. I would think the moral of the story helps kids be proud of their family and recognize their parents for who they are but it is showing that the classmate didn't learn that.
June 25, 2020
This was my first time reading a children's book with different sets of parents. This is the story of a little girl named Stella who has two dads. Her school is going to have a mother's day celebration. Since she doesn't have mom, her friends ask her a serious of questions about what moms do and who does that for her if she doesn't have a mom. Stella sees that her dads, her grandma, and other family members provide the love and support that a mother can provide for her children. In the end, she winds up brings her whole family to the mother's day celebration because all of them mean a lot to her. I enjoyed this book immensely because it showed different types of families, but also the problems that arise from that and how easily they can be fixed if everyone is supportive and understanding. This book is a 2016 Rainbow Project Book List winner.
June 7, 2016
This is a story about a little girl with two father's, and her solution to who to bring to a Mother's Day Celebration. It is so important that Diverse Family's stories are shared just as much as traditional families, and this is a great story for doing just that.
I found the illustrations to be very appealing, and the writing shows how a routine activity can be a challenge to someone else. The themes are accceptance, diversity, and understanding. I would reconmmend this book for children ages 3-6.
I found the illustrations to be very appealing, and the writing shows how a routine activity can be a challenge to someone else. The themes are accceptance, diversity, and understanding. I would reconmmend this book for children ages 3-6.
November 22, 2017
This book is about a little girl named Stella, who goes to school, but one day the teacher tells them they will have a party. All very happy, but Stella is sad to hear that it is a party for moms. She does not have a mother, she has two parents, and she does not know who she is going to take to the party. The day of the party arrives and she takes her two fathers, her classmate takes his two mothers, and another takes her grandmother. All very happy at the party. In this book you can appreciate all types of families.
August 8, 2015
Illustrations are fabulous, and message is important in appreciating all definitions/makeups of family and those who support you are your family, but the text was missing something for me. I think it partially had to do with the ending where Stella's classmate with two moms worries about what he'll do for the Father's Day party - didn't he learn from Stella on Mother's Day? Expected to like it more than I did after finishing, but still a valuable message.
January 25, 2016
Meh. I like the premise of the book - not everyone has a mom for a Mother's Day party. Stella has two dads and lots of other extended family but no mom. She worries about who to bring until one of her friends suggests she bring them all. I didn't like the artwork-strange red lines to make rosy cheeks and I hated the strange colors and fonts in the text for no apparent reason. Ending was disappointing since another child worries about Fathers Day.
April 26, 2016
Stella's class is preparing for Mother's Day. She is feeling anxious because she doesn't have a mother -- Stella has two dads instead, plus an assortment of other relatives, but no mom. Schiffer tells an unbeat tale that perfectly characterizes a child's nervousness about not fitting the school norm. The ending is satisfying with a hint of what's to come on Father's Day. A gentle story with a big hearted reminder that families come in all shapes and sizes.
August 26, 2019
This story is one about different types of families. It gives a variety of different family examples and leads the reader to understand not everyone has a mom and a dad. No matter what type of family you have, the story shows that they all love each other. This story also addresses the concerns a child may have with not being in a stereo typical family. I love this book and I think that it would be wonderful to share with any child because there are many perspectives through out the story.
March 22, 2015
When Stella’s teacher announces their class is going to have a celebration for Mother’s day, everyone is excited, everyone except for Stella. What should she do? She has two dads and no mom. I especially love how Schiffer tells the story through Stella’s eyes, perfectly capturing a child’s perspective -- sharing her worries, her classmates’ questions and the happy ending.
January 20, 2016
I recommended this book to a parent today who was looking for "books for very young children about kids with LGBT parents." She said this was exactly what she was looking for. I would easily use this book in a storytime about families. Recommended.
October 22, 2015
I appreciate the fact that Stella solves the problem of who to bring to her school's Mother's Day party, but was annoyed that the teacher planned the event in the first place since so many kids don't have traditional families.
February 11, 2016
Not everyone has a mother they can bring, and in Stella's case she only has two dads. Who is she to bring to school's Mother's Day Party?
Such a great book for modern families and solution to holidays such as Mother's Day or Father's Day.
Such a great book for modern families and solution to holidays such as Mother's Day or Father's Day.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 300 reviews