While picking books for Pete at the library the other day, I noticed the dearth of books suitable for boys with no father. There are plenty about loving relationships with fathers, doing things together, and family units (with the proper "boy, girl, baby, mother, father, cat, dog, and stationwagon"); there are lots of "mother/daughter" books; but I didn't find any that are "mother/son"-with no father in the offing. Judith Viorst's come closest: Mother does things with the boys, but there are brothers, and Petey's all alone.
Surely there must be other "Single mothers" who get tired of reading about perfect families. Pete is so much influenced by what he reads. Last night we read Paul, the Hero of the Fire, where Paul runs away and gets a job at the Fair to help Mom and Dad's finances, and Petey said, "I'd better get a job and help you, Mommy". I asked him what he'd do, and he said, "I'll feed the chickens at the farm. That would be a job, wouldn't it?". But when I told him he'd have to do it every night, he said, "Guess what? I won't get a job after all.".
I wish I had a book to read him that had a mother and a son being happy together without a daddy.
Nancy Lawson
a picture from her early teaching days in San Franciso
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