We must remember that our culture used to ostracize children of divorce too, but that has gradually become more widely accepted. The classroom scene captures an experience so many kids will relate to, whether they have single, widowed or divorced parents, incarcerated parents, or are being raised by grandparents or other guardians. When Heather’s classmate asks, “What does your father do?” there is a moment of reckoning (she wonders: “Am I the only one without a father?”) but it’s hardly a crisis. Gender is in fact a very subtle feature of the story. Newman’s book takes us through a preschool child’s routine, bursting with fingerpaint and everyday epiphanies. When I teach future librarians about what makes a good picture book, I always say that the narration must contain an authentic child’s viewpoint, and the story should not be didactic. I’m a former school librarian who currently teaches children’s literature to MLS students at the Graduate School for Library and Information Studies at Queens College in New York City. Heather has two pets: a ginger-colored cat named Gingersnap and a big black dog named Midnight. She has two arms, two legs, two eyes, two hands, and two feet. The children featured in this book are chubby, muddy, messy, and very real, and the narration has a soothing cadence. As we snuggle with our children and read the story, we flip through the sun-filled, watercolor-washed illustrations. When we bought it, Heather felt like a long overdue gift. We both remember the controversy around the book, but not the story itself. When Heather Has Two Mommies by Lesléa Newman was published in 1989, we were 9 and 10 years old and already onto chapter books. Stefanie and I didn’t grow up with such beautiful books. As I stack towers of books around me, I feel as if I’m building a rainbow book fortress of protection around my queer family. These loving, age-appropriate celebrations of creative gender expression and different kinds of families communicate universal life lessons of loving oneself and others. We began with Being You: A First Conversation About Gender (Penguin, 2021) and a pride alphabet book, Pride Puppy (Orca, 2021). I’m building a new library for my two kids and wife Stefanie, who is trans and transitioned just two years ago. This year, I’m celebrating Pride through LGBTQ children’s books.
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