Picture Books III

Heather Has Two Mommies. Written by Lesléa Newman, Illustrated by Diana Souza. This book tells the story of a little girl and her two mothers. While at school, the idea of 'daddy' is brought up to her, which prompts her (very smart!) teacher to instruct the kids to talk about their families, which are all different. The book has passed it's 10th anniversary and it's still as contemporary and relevant as it was when it was written. The black and white illustrations (including those done by the kids) fit in perfectly with the story. It's a classic with good reason.

Molly's Family. Written by Nancy Garden, Illustrated by Sharon Wooding. This is the story of a little girl with two mothers. Very similar to Heather Has Two Mommies, she draws a picture of her two mothers and then it falls to the teacher to tell the classroom that indeed a child can have two mothers and look at all the different types of families in their classroom. The coloured pencil illustrations are lovely and fit in very well with the story. Though the plot is very similar to Heather's story, the charming illustrations make it a worthwhile read.

Daddy, Papa And Me. Written by Andrew R Aldrich, Illustrated by Mike Motz. This tells the story of a boy that is adopted by two men. The child is black and the parents are white, but that isn't ever mentioned in the text. The story mentions that the child's mother was "too sick" to care for him, and does talk a little about what parents deal with when they want to adopt, but never mentions anything unusual about the fact that his parents are gay, though it is noted that he does have female influence in his life, in case anyone is worried. The story is sweet, and the text is short enough for a young child. The illustrations are exaggerated comic book style, something not often seen in picture books. Though the story is brief, and ends on a slightly pedantic note, it's still very sweet.

Uncle What-Is-It Is Coming To Visit! Written and illustrated by Michael Willhoite. This is the story of a brother and sister who are told their uncle (that they've never met) is coming to visit and he's gay. They don't know what this means, but are told about two different stereotypes by the neighbourhood teens. One says that they're all transvestites and the other says they're all into leather. When they finally do meet their uncle, he is neither of these things and goes on to explain that gay men are just men that love other men, though some do fit those stereotypes. The cartoonish illustrations fit in very well with the text very well. The story is best for an older child, considering the themes and the length, but the message is an important one at any age and this story tells it well.

The Different Dragon. Written by Jennifer Bryan, Illustrated by Danamarie Hosler. This is the story of a little boy that meets a dragon. The whole of the tale is a bedtime story told by his mother featuring the young boy and his cat. It happens that the boys has two mothers, but that is not relevant to the story except that he has them. It's a wonderful background fact that he has two mothers, the story doesn't bother to 'teach' about that, but rather focuses on the boy meeting and befriending the dragon. The illustrations are colourful and very fitting to the text. This is one of the best books I've read for this age, for a child to see him or herself in the story without having to learn yet again that all families are different.