Always Your Stepmum

I’ll always remember the day that we met – we were both so uncertain and shy. But deep in my heart something started to grow. I was changing and didn’t know why.  

Written in the voice of a loving stepmum, this is a warm hug of a book. The simple rhyming text speaks directly to the child listening, recounting the way the stepmum and the child have come to know each other. It acknowledges that the building of bonds takes time, and that it involves the sharing of special times together. It’s gentle and sweet.  

The illustrations show the presence of the other parent too, with all three going for a walk, making music, hosting a party, and sitting with each other. And, cleverly, there are also child-like illustrations, charting the relationship from the child’s point of view. They show happy family scenes with all three members, and sometimes with each adult separately.  

This would be a brilliant book to read with a child whose family might be changing. Overall, it is joyful without being too saccharine.