Sheila Keckler Butt

Randall Tarpey-Schwed's review posted on Amazon:

It's almost impossible to overemphasize how horrid this story is. Whatever you do, do not buy this book.

Seth and Sarah, white boy/girl twins, encounter a boy named Michael in their class who explains to them that he doesn't have a mommy and a daddy, but rather he has two daddies. He tells Seth and Sarah that his daddies have talked about getting married and they have asked Michael if he would like that, to which he had replied, with a worried look on his face "I don't know if I would or not". (an absolutely stupid premise; of course a child would want to see his parents married; how dreadful that a children's book would be used to frame a child's family as bad)

At dinner that night, Seth and Sarah report that they met a boy named Michael in class who has two daddies who want to get married. The twins' father explains to them that God made Adam and Eve to be the first husband and wife (illustrated by a sacharine picture of rabbits lying next to lions, with a sultry-looking Eve with orchid corsage in her hair and arms wrapped suggestively around Adam's chest). On the next page is an illustration of an African-American man and woman being married by a minister with an all-black wedding party in attendance (apparently to illustrate that Black men and women can get married too, as long as they marry within their race and are married by a black minister.)

Then there is further explanation by Seth/Sarah's father that Michael's daddies should not get married because the bible teaches them that it is sin for two men to get married, but that "God loves them" and "sent his Son to die on the cross for them". That particular dialogue is illustrated by a picture of a crucified Jesus with one of Michael's daddies at the feet of Jesus looking up imploringly at Jesus. (apparently to illustrate that Michael's daddies know perfectly well that they are living in sin and are on their way to hell)

The book concludes with an illustration of a golden road leading to heaven. Sara and Seth both declare "I want to go to heaven", and the father wants them to teach others what the bible says so that "they can be in heaven too". Seth says kindly that he likes Michael, and "I am going to invite him to come to bible class with me this week". (presumably so that Michael can learn more about how his parents are living in sin and will suffer the eternal flames of torment).

This story is dreadful, awful, anti-family, anti-children, homophobic, backwards drivel.… (mehr)