Our Subway Baby Explained

Genre:Children's literature, Memoir
Isbn:9780525427544
Pages:40
Media Type:Print
Release Date:September 15, 2020
Publisher:Dial Press
Subject:LGBT adoption
Our Subway Baby
Language:English
Country:United States
Author:Peter Mercurio
Illustrators:Leo Espinosa

Our Subway Baby is a picture book written by Peter Mercurio, illustrated by Leo Espinosa, and published September 15, 2020 by Dial Press. The book tells the true story of how Pete and his husband, Danny, found and eventually adopted their son, Kevin.

Background

Based on a true story, Our Subway Baby illustrates how author Peter Mercurio and his husband Danny Stewart saved an infant child in New York City’s Union Square Subway station.[1] At the station, Danny Stewart momentarily glanced at the floor and saw what he initially believed was a baby doll wrapped in a sweatshirt.[2] However, he soon realized the baby was a living infant and promptly called 911.[3] The discovery occurred in August of 2000 and the baby was later adopted in December of 2002.

Style

The book contains digital mixed media art illustrations throughout, and also includes pictures of the author, his partner, and their son many years after the events depicted in the book.[4]

Analysis

Kirkus Reviews claims that this book appeals to young audiences as it discusses financial difficulties in terms of “piggy banks,” which helps children make more sense of these problems. Kirkus Reviews also applauds the illustrator, Leo Espinosa, for correctly portraying the characters' races: Peter and Danny are white men, and their child, Kevin, has light brown skin.

Reception

Our Subway Baby received positive reviews from Kirkus, who called the book "[a] delightful story of love and hope," School Library Journal,[5] and the American Library Association (ALA).

The book is a Junior Library Guild selection[6] and received the following accolades:

Notes and References

  1. 21 July 2020 . OUR SUBWAY BABY . Kirkus Reviews . LXXXVIII . 13 . ProQuest.
  2. News: Garvey . Marianne . A man found an abandoned baby in a subway. It led to an unexpected family and a beautiful children's story . KCRA . 13 December 2021 .
  3. News: Hall . Louise . Couple raises baby they found abandoned on NYC subway . . The Independent . 8 April 2021 .
  4. . Picture Books . School Library Journal . 66 . 9 . September 2020 . 60 .
  5. Web site: Elam. Mary. 2020-09-01. Our Subway Baby. 2022-01-04. School Library Journal.
  6. Web site: Junior Library Guild : Our Subway Baby by Peter Mercurio. 2022-01-04. www.juniorlibraryguild.com.
  7. Web site: The 2021 Rainbow Book List. 2022-01-04. Rainbow Book List. en-US.
  8. Web site: Anderson. Porter. 2021-03-15. The US-Based Lambda Literary Awards Program Names Its 2021 Finalists. 2022-01-04. Publishing Perspectives. en-US.
  9. . ALA's 2021 Best Lists . The Booklist . 117 . 14 . 15 March 2021 . 4–18 .
  10. . Bovard . Sam . September's Most Anticipated LGBTQ Books . Lambda Literary Review . Los Angeles . 29 August 2020 .