Heather Has Two Mommies: 10th Anniversary Edition - Hardcover

Newman, Leslea

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1555835708 ISBN 13: 9781555835705

Publisher: Alyson Books, 2000

Synopsis

When Heather goes to playgroup, at first she feels bad because she has two mothers and no father, but then she learns that there are lots of different kinds of families and the most important thing is that all the people love each other.

About this title

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

About the Author:

Lesla Newman is the author of five children's books for nontraditional families: Heather Has Two Mommies, Saturday is Patty Day, Belinda's Bouquet, Gloria Goes to Gay Pride, and the forthcoming Thea's Throw.

About this edition

• Publisher: Alyson Books
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 1555835708
• ISBN 13: 9781555835705
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Souza Diane