Heather Has Two Mommies

Newman, L. (1989). Heather has two mommies. New York, NY: Alyson Books.

Bookspot.com’s Challenged Books List

Leslea Newman’s Heather Has Two Mommies is the story of a young girl named Heather who has two mommies named Mama Jane, a carpenter, and Mama Kate, a doctor.  Heather spends lots of time with them, going to the park and baking cookies.  Eventually, they take her to a new play group, and while there, Molly, the teacher, reads a story about a boy whose father is a vet.  Heather realizes she does not have a daddy like everyone else and gets upset.  Molly tells her that having two mommies is special.  She has the kids all draw pictures of their families, and she tells them that each family is special, and the most important thing is that all of the people in it love each other.  At the end, Mama Kate and Mama Jane pick Heather up, she gives them two kisses, and they walk home. 

I read the first edition of this book, and it featured very old fashioned black and white illustrations that are often accompanied by child drawn illustrations.  I believe newer editions of the book are in color, which is definitely an improvement.  Like Daddy’s Roommate, this book portrays homosexuality in a positive light, which was why challengers had it removed from library shelves and why it was placed on the Challenged Books list.  While researching this book, I discovered that it was the first lesbian themed children’s book ever published.  Though it is currently absent from our public school library shelves along with Daddy’s Roommate, it is important that this book exists, also, to discuss this difficult subject matter on a child’s level.  Parents in similar situations need tools to help explain to their children why their lives may be different from other children their age.  In this book, Heather’s family situation is discussed simply and positively, just like children in all other family units, which is very important because whether one agrees with the lifestyle or not, the children should never have to feel different or ashamed of their family situations.