Operation Marriage

Description

Eight year-old Alex has a fight with her best friend, Zach, who says he can no longer be her friend. Why? Because her parents 'aren't married'. Operation Marriage looks at the humorous and heart-warming actions of Alex and her younger brother, Nicky, to convince their parents to get married. Based on a true story and beautifully illustrated, this is a splendid and touching story. Although this is a children's book, the content makes a serious point about the struggle for equality, with the final uplifting message being one of hope.

Cynthia Chin-Lee is the author of A Is for the Americas, A Is for Asia, Akira to Zoltan, and Amelia to Zora. She lives in Palo Alto, California. Lea Lyon is an award-winning children's book illustrator, a painting teacher, and a portrait artist. She is the illustrator of Keep Your Ear on the Ball, The Miracle Jar, Playing War, and Say Something. She lives in Richmond, California.

"Operation Marriage is an honest, insightful, and touching story illustrating the many ways that lack of marriage equality impacts kids' lives. Its messages--perseverance, trusting oneself, facing adversity and standing up to it--are universal, but its approach to the particular social challenge of marriage inequality fills a void in the children's book world. There is power in seeing a problem from a child's perspective, and much that we grown-ups can learn from looking at the world through a child's eyes. This book belongs in every school library and on every public library shelf." --Sarah Hoffman, author of Pink Boys "Cynthia Chin-Lee very sensitively deals with the subject of same sex marriage by telling the true story of one couple and their children. Children are very ready to start talking about the civil rights issues of our time and this book is a great jumping off point to get those conversations started." --Jacinta Bunnell, author of Girls Are Not Chicks Coloring Book "Even 3rd-graders know that commitment ceremonies are not weddings and domestic partnerships are not marriage. Operation Marriage shows how important marriage is to children and that they understand that anything less, is less than equal." --Dr. Davina Kotulski, psychologist, and author of Why You Should Give A Damn About Gay Marriage (2004) and Love Warriors: The Rise of the Marriage Equality Movement and Why it Will Prevail (2010) "Cynthia delights audiences, with careful consideration not to leave anyone out. Her books are winners." --Heidi R. Kling, author of Sea "The strength here is Lyon's watercolor illustrations in summer greens, golden yellows, and coppery browns that evoke the heat of warm days spent with friends." --School Library Journal, on Playing War