Heather Has Two Mommies

Reviewed by: Jill O'Connor - North Yarmouth Academy, Yarmouth, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: June 10, 2015

Review

A 2015 update to a classic story about a little girl and her lesbian parents. The book was originally self-published in 1989 by Newman, who saw a dearth of books representing non-traditional families, and then reissued for its 10th anniversary with black and white drawings. This new edition has bright, colorful illustrations from the deft hand of Cornell. Whether a collection is choosing to update a classic, or is acquiring this book for the first time, this should be a winner for many children. Though Heather has two mothers, the book felt as much about a little one about to tackle the big concept of leaving the comfort and safely of her home for the first time to start school as it did about a little girl with an out-of-the-ordinary family. In fact, the teacher suggests that all of the children draw their families and no two families are the same. The message that "the most important thing about a family is that all the people in it love each other" is the clearest, and most important, of all. This book would be comforting to a child growing up in a home with two same-sex parents, because all children want to be seen in the books that they read, but any child can enjoy it and I would recommend it for any collection with young readers.

Overall Book Score: very good