Heather Has Two Mommies: 20th Anniversary Edition [Paperback]

Lesléa Newman (Author), Diana Souza (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2009 | Age Range: 3 - 7 years

The first lesbian-themed children's book ever published—now in color—Lesléa Newman’s groundbreaking children’s book has an enduring message about acceptance and tolerance that will appeal to readers of all ages and backgrounds: The most important thing about any family is that all the people in it love each other.

New York–based author Lesléa Newman is the prize-winning author of more than fifty titles for children and adults.

Illustrator Diana Souza lives in Dallas, Texas.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This handsome 10-anniversary edition of a minor classic presents the story of Heather, a preschooler with two moms who discovers that some of her friends have very different sorts of families. Juan, for example, has a mommy and a daddy and a big brother named Carlos. Miriam has a mommy and a baby sister. And Joshua has a mommy, a daddy, and a stepdaddy. Their teacher Molly encourages the children to draw pictures of their families, and reassures them that "each family is special" and that "the most important thing about a family is that all the people in it love each other." In the afterword, the author (whose other children's books include Matzo Ball Moon) explains that although she grew up in a Jewish home, in a Jewish neighborhood, there were no families like hers on the television or in picture books. She came to regard her family as somehow "wrong," since there was no Christmas tree in the living room and no Easter egg hunt. Whatever the religious right may wish to think about nontraditional families, there is no denying that any child enrolled in an American school will encounter friends with single parents, gay parents, stepparents, or adoptive parents. This new, revised version of Heather Has Two Mommies offers an enjoyable, upbeat, age-appropriate introduction to the idea of family diversity. The book is essential for children (ages 2 to 6) with gay parents or family members, and a great addition to a Rainbow Curriculum. --Regina Marler --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Leslea Newman is the author of many children's books, including "Too Far Away to Touch" and "Thea's Throw." Her literary awards include the Highlights for Children Fiction Writing Award and a Parent's Choice silver medal. Diana Souza illustrates and desig

Product Details

• Age Range: 3 - 7 years
  
• Paperback: 36 pages
• Publisher: Alyson Books; 20 Anv edition (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593501366
• ISBN-13: 978-1593501365
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.2 x 11 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #871,546 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lesléa Newman is the author of 64 books for readers of all ages including the teen novel in verse, OCTOBER MOURNING: A SONG FOR MATTHEW SHEPARD; the middle grade novel, HACHIKO WAITS; the poetry collection, STILL LIFE WITH BUDDY; the short story collection, A LETTER TO HARVEY MILK; and the children's books, A SWEET PASSOVER, THE BOY WHO CRIED FABULOUS, THE BEST CAT IN THE WORLD, RUNAWAY DREIDEL! and MATZO BALL MOON. Her literary awards include poetry fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Artists Foundation. OCTOBER MOURNING: A SONG FOR MATTHEW SHEPARD was named an American Library Association 2013 Stonewall Honor Book, and A SWEET PASSOVER was named a 2013 Sydney Taylor Honor as well. A past poet laureate of Northampton, Massachusetts, she is a faculty member of Spalding University's brief-residency MFA in Writing program.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

154 of 189 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars There are better books to read about LGBT Families March 29, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

Honestly, this is not a book that i would choose for my son to read. I'm an out-gay man who adopted an infant ten years ago. It's just not a good quality book for the apparent age-range targeted. The black-and-white drawings do not make it attractive and Alternative/Artificial Insemination is not a topic of interest to kids that age or necessarily appropriate. It's certainly not a book that my son has ever picked off the bookshelves for me to read to him or for him to read to himself. Books like One Dad, Two Dads," "The Duke Who Outlawed Jellybeens (or is it Rainbows?)," and "Two Moms, the Zark, and Me" are the books that he keeps going back to, reading on his own, asking me to read them, or sharing with his friends. Just because a book is written by us about us does not make it a good quality book.

38 of 49 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Thanks for the Changes! June 12, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

A round of applause for Leslea Newman who realized that her book needed a revision for the 10th Anniversary Edition. She focused on the true message of the book, that the "most important thing about a family is that all the people in it love each other." She simplified the writing to better fit preschool audiences, but most importantly, removed the sections about how Mama Jane and Mama Kate got together and then concieved Heather. These were the sections that kept it out of preschools and other settings, in spite of the great message. Thank you Ms. Newman! Now I can't wait to buy several copies for my daughter's daycare, our church, and our local public Library!

26 of 33 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars May not reach intended audiences on account of bad graphics. January 11, 2004

By Robin Orlowski

Format:Paperback

I appreciate the openess (since kids are much smarter than we give them credit for, the insemination would not upset children) of this book, but the lack of color is tricky in a children's book.

I have read some excellent 'current issue' children's fiction books which succeed in telling their story (and inspiring creative thinking) without using color (Days with Daddy) but the lines in those stories were well-defined. The hazy presentation of this book will ironically make it difficult to talk with kids about so-called alternative families. The most open message in the world becomes cold and inviting if it cannot appeal to the eye of the intended reader.

Plus, if colors convey mood, this same decision may inadvertently suggest the women and Heather are engaged in something secretive and not as valid when compared against the activities of status quo idealized heterosexual families. Ms. Newman may have completely different politics, but she seems to echo the far right's endless admonitions about sexuality and youth with the layout.

Future editions need to have clear color graphics throughout the text.Art is not benign, but a political statement as important as carefuly crafted text. It is difficult for children to be excited/proud about their families (or the existence of GLBT families) after reading a book which seems gloomy.

34 of 46 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Children's Book Explores Lesbian Mothers January 4, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

HEATHER HAS TWO MOMMIES, by Leslea Newman, is a story of a lesbian couple who decides to have a child through alternative insemination. At three years old, Heather joins a play group where it is suggested for the first time that she has no daddy. While the children are drawing pictures and discussing their diverse families (children with two daddies, one mommy and no daddy, a mommy and step-father, adopted family and nuclear family) the teacher acknowledges that "each family is special."
HEATHER HASTWO MOMMIES has been the focus of a great deal of controversy in school districts and with parents and other adults. This is a lengthy story which can be seen as an "explanatory book" because of the focus on spelling out how Heather's family began. Part of the story is dedicated to: how Heather's mommies were friends for a long time, fell in love and decided to live together, how they created a family, visited a fertility doctor and extended their family with a child. There is even a page or two on the types of careers the women have. Mama Jane, the biological mother, is a carpenter and Mama Kate is a doctor.
The discussion of alternative insemination includesvisiting the "special" doctor, putting some sperm in Mama Jane's vagina, and the sperm and egg meeting in the womb. This detail is needed to explain how Heather was created without a father. This section makes for interesting conversation among eight year olds, for example, who are beginning to question and understand the world of sexuality and family configurations, or even six- or seven-year-olds who are wondering how a child cannot have a father because "you need a mother and father to make a baby...."
These issues and the book's length may cause the book to be considered inappropriate for casual reading with children in a school setting under the age of six. However, it may be an interesting selection to help support discussions with individual children on different types of families or, more specifically, for lesbian parents needing to carefully explain to their children how they were created. This was the first of a wave of literature which explicitly depicted and discussed a lesbian-headed family in the U.S. (published in 1989). For many families, this book was extremely helpful because it addressed some of the concerns of young children of lesbian parents which were not addressed in other children's literature.
One somewhat confusing aspect of the book is that while the black and white illustrations were appropriate for young children, the text seemed more appropriate for older children. Because of its illustrations, and by altering the text, this book can be used with young children because there are interesting depictions of the women hugging each other, of Kate's hands on Jane's womb when she is nine months pregnant, and of the women caring for Heather in a number of instances. The details in each illustration, and the way the black and white sketches do not prohibit the audience from detecting various ethnic and racial differences among the children makes them find contributions to works for children. At the same time, some of the details of the illustrations are incongruous with the story. The children's drawings of their families, for instance, are extremely detailed for 3-year-old children, many of whom are not yet doing representational drawing. This small criticism, however, should not keep parents or teachers from reading the book to young children. Read more ›

37 of 51 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Writing from experience July 13, 2004

By "serenitywinner"

Format:Paperback

I had this book as a child, and I absolutely loved it. The style of art allowed me to color it in as if it were a coloring book as I read the wonderful story. Heather is a very happy child, and she loves both of her mothers... and they love her too. That's really what's important.

Highly reccomended. I read it again and again... I own it to this day.

34 of 47 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book, wish illustrations were in color May 29, 2001

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

This is the ground-breaking book about a little girl who has two mommies, a lesbian couple. Ten years ago the authors had a terrible time trying to get their book published and finally put up the money themselves. I suspect perhaps this is why the illustrations are in black and white, because color is more expensive. Although very sweet and adorable, it would be nice if the illustrations were in color. But there are plenty of books that are beloved classics and have one color illustrations such as "Millions of Cats or "Make Way for Ducklings." That is the only "fault" I find with this book. The book gives children of both gay and straight parents the security of knowing that their families are all just fine the way they are. Today only 25 % of families are traditional, with a dad and mom. As more diverse families have come on the scene more books have been written about this issue so that all children can feel they have a place at the table. After all, a family is a group of people who love and support one another--two moms, two dads, a mom and dad, grandparents, an aunt or an uncle, guardians, foster families, single parents, etc. Kids need to know this, so that they can grow up feeling proud of their families and accepted by their friends. This is in no way a "subversive" book, but one that is eminently useful for children of both straight and gay parents. If children know the truth, they have less chance of being bullies toward those children of families that "appear different." Our children live in a diverse world. They need the facts so they have to tools to flourish in it. Knowing that there are such things as gay parents will not make children gay, because sexual orientation is fixed at birth.... Gay parents have exactly the same percentage of gay/straight children as straight parents do, about 10 %. So rid yourself of homophobic fear and do not inject your kids with it. Read this book to your child, and help them understand the simple truths of life: that gay dads and lesbian moms have kids, that they are trustworthy, respectable, devout and loving parents,and that their kids are loved just as much as other children. I look forward to the day when all families and kids are accepted NOT on the basis of their sexual identity but for the content of their character, their courage and unconditional love. I am a straight mom. Read more ›