Reviews: (by author)

Zilber, Jeremy. Why Mommy Is a Democrat. Illus. Yuliya Firsova. Available at www.littledemocrats.net.

Should you happen to be a Democrat, you're going to like this book. I liked it a lot. Mommy is a tufted-ear squirrel who embodies and makes visual all the good things Democrats like to think they do, like playing by the rules, treating everyone fairly, and sharing their toys. The picture book starts out, "Some Mommies are called Democrats," and follows a "Democrats do such-and-such. "just as Mommy does" pattern. Little lovable animals inhabit the very finely done colored-pencil illustrations, exemplifying abstract beliefs like tolerance and accessible health care. They are all smiles and benevolence, and Mommy beams upon them.

As a running contrast to the positive scenes in the foreground of the detailed 2-page drawings are background scenes juxtaposing the heartlessness of non-Mommylike people and the woe of the poor. The elite characters are never named "Republican" but they're identifiable. Items like the newspaper the headline of which reads: "Tax Refund," carried by the cigar-smoking escort of a snooty woman totting a poodle, are dead giveaways. So is the representative multicultural-looking down-and-out young man who is barred from an expensive school, sleeps under a tree in the park, or looks in trash cans for dinner. Every Democrats' heartstrings will vibrate with joy as Zilbert picks all the acupuncture points for our pain and pleasure-like the reference to the 2000 election.

A very smart, enjoyable collaboration and highly recommended.

A. Allison

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