Heather has Two Mommies
by
Leslea Newman
Summary
Heather
is a child about five years old whose parents are two women. Mama Kate is a
doctor and Mama Jane is a carpenter. Her “mommies” take her to daycare where
she discovers that not all kids have two mommies. Some have two daddies, others have a mommy
and a daddy, or just one mommy... At
first she is sad that she doesn’t have a dad, but her teacher points out how
special each family is after they draw pictures of their families.
Review
Heather
has two mommies. (2005, Jan). Booklinks,
14(3), 31.
Newman, Leslea A. Heather Has Two
Mommies. Illus. by Diana Souza. 1989; reissued 2000. 48p.Alyson, paper,
$10.95 (1-55583-543-0). K-Gr. 1. Heather feels left out because she
doesn't have a daddy;instead, she has two mommies. Then Heather’s preschool
teacher asks the children to draw pictures of the people in their families, and
Heather realizes that families are defined by the common fact that family
members love one another. Although the message is one of appreciation of
diversity, the more distant third-person narration and black-and-white
illustrations make this less engaging than other picture books listed here.
My thoughts
This is not a well-written book, which is a
shame, because it could be a nice introduction to the real world for many
children. The subject matter of
homosexuality is not “in your face” and seems really benign compared to what
kids are exposed to now, especially on television. I remember when it first came out thinking, “really?”
but after actually reading it, nothing about it spurs any emotion.
How it could be used in the library
In a high school library, it could be
included in a study of censorship.
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