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

 

 

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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.

Both my partner and myself fell in love with this book. Our daughter also likes reading this book. She likes it so much that she wanted to give one to her class so that they could "learn" that there are families that don't always have a mom and a dad.

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.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Writing from experience
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. Read more

Published on July 13 2004 by serenitywinner

1.0 out of 5 stars THE BOOK THAT STARTED IT ALL
This book launched the homosexual literary onslaught. It is one of many publications used by the homosexual lobby to force acceptance of a depraved lifestyle by influencing young,... Read more

Published on July 9 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Brave book!
I cannot believe that this is still considered such a controversial book. I was a teenager when it came out and found myself amused but not really interested in the subject... Read more

Published on July 23 2003

3.0 out of 5 stars the message backfires
First off all, this book deserves some credit for being one of-if not the very first- books for kids dealing with gay parents. Read more

Published on Feb 25 2003 by violet

4.0 out of 5 stars Should be in color, but an important book to consider
The illustrations should be in color to interest children.

The edition I have does not have the artificial insemination part. Read more

Published on Jan 30 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Great addition to ALL families, not just GLBT
This book is quite groundbreaking, and is excellent in the way it speaks to children about the differences among families. Read more

Published on Jan 6 2003 by Webmaster, OurWorldToo.com

5.0 out of 5 stars 10th Edition does NOT include insemination info
Several of the one-star reviews here refer to a different edition of this book. This edition (10) does not have anything about artificial insemination (to appease those who were... Read more

Published on Oct 29 2002

4.0 out of 5 stars An Eye Opener
It's really interesting how the author, Leslea Newman portrayed not only homosexuality but the understanding that there are different types of families out there. Read more

Published on Oct 17 2002 by Andrea G.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book, wish illustrations were in color
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... Read more

Published on May 30 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Baby Present!
My now 13 year old daughter was given a copy of the first edition and printing. Now, when other lesbian couples have kids, it is her standard baby present. Read more

Published on Mar 2 2001 by kathleen

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