billytea, have you put this on your Christmas list? [link]

Oh, wow. I have not, and given the prices they talk about, I'm unlikely to. (Plus, an animal named after you? Very cool. Having to pay for it? Not as cool, and possibly smacking a little of desperation. Rather like losing one's virginity in this regard.)

I am, in fact, pondering putting a proper university-standard biology textbook on my Christmas list, to have something to read before going to sleep. And the Battlestar Galactica boardgame, which sounds like it would be incredible fun with the right people.

Can't find anything about her, other than this one other PubMarketplace listing from earlier this year:

Didn't Amy say she knew her?

ETA: No wait, she said she knows the editor who bought it.

Charlotte Featherstone is also clearly a pen name. I mean, right?

Given that she writes ero-rom, probably. At least it's fairly innocuous, all things considered.

Only three puppies left and they still want to pile up.

I can't look at the puppies site anymore. It's unbearably sad. It reminds me of a coffee table book I have about puppies. It has beautiful black and white photos of puppies, with pithy "quotes".

One is of a lone puppy squinting into the camera: "where is my mommy? And didn't I used to have brothers and sisters...?"

I'm going to give this request one more go because I have a real need to provide good advice to a couple who are really struggling.

They are two women who are raising a 5 year old boy and an 8 year old girl. The mother is deceased and the father is, I believe, 'away.'

The little boy is confused and angry about comments other kids make about having no dad, a dad who might be in prison, and being adopted by two women.

The women are the very best parents you could imagine, but they are at a loss for how to give their little guy tools for understanding and addressing comments.

Do any of the excellent parents or kid lit specialists have suggestions for books in the kids' age range?

google has given me "All About Me" and "Adoption Stories for Young Children" but I would so appreciate personal recommendations...or even a respected resource like an agency reading list or some such.

Sorry, bonny, but that's such a specific and difficult set of circumstances I can't think of anything that would be particularly helpful.

I will note that the movie Lilo and Stitch does address: losing parents, anger, acting out and inappropriate behavior, unconventional "chosen" families etc.

Lilo and Stich is a great idea. I'll mention it.

I don't expect any one, or even a few, books to cover all the issues. Adoption. Anger. Same sex parents. Dealing with inappropriate question. That's a lot to cover. A mini library would be apt, I'd say.

I just asked a colleague what books were helpful for her kids (she co-parents with her wife). She said Molly's Family was great.