Heather Has Two Mommies facts for kids
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| Author | Lesléa Newman |
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| Illustrator | Diana Souza |
| Country | United States |
| Publisher | Alyson Books |
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Publication date
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1989 |
| ISBN | 1-55583-543-0 |
| OCLC | 43227323 |
| [Fic] 21 | |
| LC Class | PZ7.N47988 He 2000 |
First published in 1989, Heather Has Two Mommies is a children's book written by Lesléa Newman with illustrations by Diana Souza. This ground-breaking novel was one of the first pieces of LGBTQ children's literature to garner broad attention. While the book is often noted as the first lesbian picture book, Jane Severance's book, When Megan Went Away, also has lesbian characters and debuted ten years before Newman's.
Background
The idea for Heather Has Two Mommies was not Newman's own. While out for a walk, Newman was approached by lesbian parents and asked to write a children's story about a family like theirs. The parents explained that there were no books that they could show their daughter that portrayed the life of a family with lesbian parents. Newman wrote the story for this purpose, but did not expect the book to gain widespread controversy.
Summary
The story is about a child, Heather, raised by lesbian women: her biological mother, Jane, who gave birth to her, and her biological mother's same-sex partner, Kate. At Heather's playgroup, her family situation is discussed simply and positively, as are those of other children in other family units. At first, Heather becomes upset when she realizes that many of her other peers at the playgroup have a daddy and she does not. Molly, the caretaker at the play group, ensures that all the children at the play group understand that all families are special and no family type is better than any of the others.
See also
In Spanish: Heather has two mommies para niños
