Picture Books II

Mommy, Mama, And Me and Daddy, Papa, And Me. Written by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Carol Thompson. These are two delightful little board books about all the day-to-day things that the baby does with his/her two mothers or fathers. Nothing about the books screams gay parents except for the fact that there are two parents of the same sex. It's perfectly wonderful for a child to see him/herself in a book. The book is in first person and the child is gender neutral. These are exactly the board books we need for a child that isn't ready to be 'taught' about his/her family and exactly what I'd expect from the author of Heather Has Two Mommies.

King & King. Written and illustrated by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijiland. This is the story of a young prince who's mother wants him to get married. No princess suits him until he meets a prince who had brought his sister. He falls in love with the prince and is married on the spot. No one in the kingdom seems to mind that the prince, now king, is gay. The story is a very good one, and well told, but the illustrations are extremely distracting and at times too old for the young children the text of the book is geared towards. I would be happier reading this story to a child that isn't looking at the pictures.

Antonio's Card. La Tarjeta de Antonio. Written by Rigoberto González, illustrated by Cecilia Concepción Álverez. This is the story of a little boy with two mothers. He is embarrassed by the 'boyish' appearance of his mother's girlfriend, but comes to realise that she is an important part of their family and he wants to include her, despite with the kids say. The story is very well written and the illustrations are fitting. And as a wonderful added bonus, the story is written in both English and Spanish, each on the same page. Antonio's birth mother is Hispanic and his other mother is not, and this book bridges the cultures very smoothly. And the illustrations of the other families in his classroom are a variety of ethnicities including a woman wrapped in Middle Eastern clothing. The story is a bit long, but perfect for a slightly older, yet still picture book age, child.

In Our Mothers' House. Written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco. This is the story, written in the first person, of a girl adopted by lesbian parents and her life growing up with them. The first person child is black, her brother is Asian and her sister has bright red hair and glasses. The mothers are 'stereotypically' lesbian looking, and there is a moment where it's mentioned that they've never worn dresses, but this doesn't detract from the overall message of the story. Included is a neighbour that disapproves, but they are shown to be in the minority in they neighbourhood and quickly dismissed. The story is very long and wordy for a picture book and would loose the attention of most young children, but perhaps read as a serial would work for a week of bedtime stories. The message is worth passing on, that a family with two mothers or adopted children, or both, are just like every other family.

My Two Uncles. Written and illustrated by Judith Vigna. This is the story of a little girl and her biological uncle and his boyfriend. Her uncle's father doesn't accept the relationship and this causes the girl distress, but the ending suggests that while the grandfather isn't completely accepting right away, he's starting towards it in the future. It's a good lesson, too, to learn that not everyone turns over a new leaf in thirty pages. The story is well paced and well told, the length is just right for a picture book and the illustrations fit the story very well.

The Daddy Machine. Written by Johnny Valentine, illustrated by Lynette Schmidt. This story, told in verse, is one of two little girls that have two mothers. Their mothers go away for a business trip and leave them a box of parts, which they decide to made a machine to give them a father. The machine goes haywire and gives them over fifty fathers. One of them figures how to make them go back into the machine and disappear. At the end of the book, two of the fathers find each other, and decide to move in together next door to the children. The rhyme is cute and it addresses an important issue for little girls with two mothers, but the resolution is weak. They don't ever say they don't want or need a father, just that they have too many, and there is the implication that they would have 'father figures' in the gay couple next door. Another verse saying that they are content with their mothers would have served the story much better. It doesn't harm the book beyond usefulness, but it is obviously missing.

Picture Books

Lucy Goes To The Country. Written by Joseph Kennedy, illustrated by John Canemaker. This is a cute story of a "city cat" that becomes a "country cat" when her Big Guys go to their country house for the weekend. She meets her Big Guys' friends (including a lesbian couple holding hands) and eventually makes friends with a dog. The story is mostly about Lucy's activities, but doesn't pass up the chance to let you know that, yes, her Big Guys are together, as in a couple, and they sleep together. It's the best of this bunch.

Zack's Story. Written by Keith Elliot Greenberg, photographs by Carol Halebian. A very wordy real-life story of a little boy and his mother, and his mother's girlfriend. The format is that of picture book, but there is far too much writing for a young child. The pictures are very dated, as is the telling of his story. It's pedantic and would turn off most, if not all, young children.

Mom And Mum Are Getting Married. Written by Ken Setterington, illustrated by Alice Priestley. The story is that of a little girl who's mothers are planning a ceremony where they exchange rings. It's a 'no fuss' type affair, where there won't be a wedding party and the daughter has to argue to be a flower-girl-slash-ring-barer. The ceremony itself isn't the focus and has the feel of something that was before there was a such thing as legal gay marriage. While it's cute, it's feeling more and more dated (thankfully), though not terribly so.

Daddy's Roommate. Written and illustrated by Michael Willhoite. This is the story of a little boy and the things he does with his father and his father's 'roommate'. At one point at the very end of the story, the boy's mother tells him that his father is 'gay', but the term 'boyfriend' is never used, nor is 'partner'. Of course, it's implied, but the use of the word 'roommate' dates the book far beyond practical use. The story in and of itself is a cute one, they go to the zoo, to a Sox game, etc. And the boy is very accepting of his father's 'roommmate', they even do things together on their own. But the book needs to be redone, we're past the use of that word. And past the idea that gay men look like creepy pedophiles, which Daddy's Roommate is drawn to look.

King & King & Family Written and illustrated by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijiland. The sequel to King & King tells the story of their honeymoon in the jungle. The vast majority of the book talks about the things the couple sees on their trip, naming animals to an annoying length. The illustrations take away from the story completely. At the very end, they discover a "jungle girl" in their suitcase and decided to adopt her. They do mention the extent of the paperwork involved in adoption, which was cute, but the idea of stealing a child from the jungle is not exactly a good message to put forth. And again, it's almost added as an afterthought to the real story, which is that of the animals on their vacation. It's cute, but the message is missed.

To do list: picture books.

Jenny Lives with Eric and Martin (1983)
When Megan Went Away (1983)
Heather Has Two Mommies (1989)
Asha's Mums (1990)
Families: A Celebration of Diversity, Committment and Love (1990)
Daddy's Roommate (1990)
The Generous Jefferson Bartleby Jones (1991)
How Would You Feel if Your Dad Was Gay (1991)
A Beach Party With Alexis: A Coloring Book (1991)
Belinda's Boquet (1991)
Gloria Goes to Gay Pride (1991)
The Duke Who Outlawed Jelly Beans (1991)
Families: A Coloring Book (1991)
A Boy's Best Friend (1992)
The Daddy Machine (1992)
The Day They Put a Tax on Rainbows and Other Stories (1992)
The Entertainer (1992)
Saturday is Pattyday (1993)
Two Moms, The Zark and Me (1993)
Uncle What-Is-It Is Coming to Visit (1993)
One Dad, Two Dads, Brown Dads, Blue Dads (1994)
Anna-Day and the O-Ring (1994)