Last night my I read “Philomena's New Glasses” by Brenna Maloney to my four year old son.
This is a photographic picture book about three guinea pig sisters named Philomena, Audrey, and Nora Jane, who don't know how not to have what other people have. In the beginning of the story, Philomena gets glasses, and first one of her sisters copies her and then, reluctantly, the other. Philomena gets a handbag in which to keep her glasses and the same thing happens. Philomena gets a dress, and the same thing happens. In the end, Nora Jane is uncomfortable in her unnecessary glasses and outfit and says that she doesn't need a handbag. Audrey accepts that not everyone has the same needs. So Philomena keeps her glasses, Audrey keeps her handbag in order to have a place to store her snacks, and the last line of the book says that everything was fine until Nora Jane got her new necklace.
The writing in this book was very clear and I liked the voice. It was expressive and easy to read out loud. I love the pictures in this book, the dressed up guinea pigs eating little snacks are incredibly cute. My son loved them too, and kept interrupting the story to ask me all sorts of questions about the guinea pigs. I myself am the oldest of three sisters, and so though my own sisters mostly borrowed from and copied one another rather than me, the story was very familiar. My son has a one year old sister, and she can't really copy him yet, but he's already hands down her favorite person, so that will come in the next couple of years. It was relevant and relatable in that way.
When I was reading this story last night there was something about it that was bothering me a little bit, though, and I couldn't put my finger on what until this morning. I felt like Philomena's exasperation with her sisters for copying her created an undertone that undermined the point of the book. Following trends just to follow trends isn't great, and people do have different needs. I wouldn't dream of debating those lessons. Also, though, do Audrey's sunglasses invalidate Philomena's glasses? Does Audrey's handbag lessen the value of Philomena's handbag? Does Nora Jane getting a necklace cause problems between the sisters, after they've just agreed that people can have different things, because necklaces aren't functional? I feel like the ending muddies the point of the book in this way. People have different needs, this is absolutely true. It's also true that people using or doing the same things as one another for different reasons – necessary glasses versus fashionable sunglasses – can be perfectly okay. Following trends that make you uncomfortable, like Nora Jean, is silly, but following trends you enjoy is fine. It's okay for people to have different needs and it's also okay for people with different needs to enjoy the same kinds of things as others. If Maloney was also trying to make a related point about appropriation with Audrey's actions (rather than what I saw as perfectly normal sister behavior), it would have been better to do that more clearly and without equating it to something harmless like glasses and accessories.
My son really liked this book, he gave it two thumbs up.
What did you think about this book? “Good!”
What happened in this book? “They put on things.”
Why did they put things on themselves? “I don't know.”
Well, Audrey was copying Philomena and Nora Jane was copying Audrey, even though it didn't make her happy. “Yeah. Oh, yeah!”
This book is called “Philomena's New Glasses,” do you think that's a good name for it? “I think it should be called 'Philomena's All New Stuff.' Yeah, let's call it that.”
Okay, but it started with glasses. And the sisters didn't all need the same things. So sometimes different people need different things, right? “Yeah, like you.”
What is something I need that's different? “Your blue shirt. It's different from my dinosaurs shirt.”
That's right, but we both need shirts even if they look different. Maybe I need glasses and you don't? “Yeah!”
And you need someone to cook for you, but I don't. “That's right!”
Can you think of one? “My sister needs diapers and I don't.”
Good! If you could meet one of the characters from this book, who would it be? “Philomena!”
And if you could ask the person who wrote this book one question, what would that be? “I would ask, I would say that they're all lunch boxes.”
You would say they got lunchboxes, not handbags? “Yeah.”
And did you like this book? Would you read it again? “Yeah. Only not tomorrow, a different night. After a little while.”
Two thumbs up from my son and four out of five stars from myself for Philomena's New Glasses by Brenna Maloney
Goodreads review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3194268675?book_show_action=false
You can buy this book here:
https://www.amazon.com/Philomenas-New-Glasses-Brenna-Maloney-ebook/dp/B01MRNJQB9/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/philomenas-new-glasses-brenna-maloney/1125190272?ean=9780425288146