MOMMY, MAMA, AND ME by Leslea Newman

This is part of a series spotlighting gay parents in children’s literature. Please visit Jonathan Arnston’s blog for more.

From Goodreads:

Rhythmic text and illustrations with universal appeal show a toddler spending the day with its mommies. From hide-and-seek to dress-up, then bath time and a kiss goodnight, there's no limit to what a loving family can do together.

My review:

I find it interesting that picture books that feature gay parents are far more prevalent than YA or MG novels. It’s as if the niche for babies and preschoolers suddenly disappears for older kids. 

MOMMA, MAMA, AND ME is a board book. Few words, but they are rhythmic and poetic. Beautiful illustrations by Carol Thompson; Thompson and Newman are jointly responsible for a number of picture books. 

A lovely before-bed book for any child about loving parents.

Tricycle Press, 2009

Leslea Newman is an award winning author who has written many books for children and teens (and I just found out she's from my state!) 

BETWEEN MOM AND JO by Julie Ann Peters

This is part of a series spotlighting gay parents in children's literature. Please visit Jonathan Arnston’s blog for more. Read my intro to our series on my post from Monday's, August 15.

From goodreads.com:

Nicholas Nathaniel Thomas Tyler has four first names and two mothers. As the only child in his class with lesbian parents, he endures the taunts and prejudices of classmates and adults over the years as best he can, drawing reassurance and strength from his parents.

Challenges nearly overwhelm him, though, when their relationship ends; Jo moves out, and Nick, now a teenager, is left with Erin, his birth mother. 

 

Between Mom and Jo is separated into two sections—the first tells the story of the family structure; the roles each of his mother’s play in Nick’s life, his first crush, his love of cooking and pets. The second half tells the story of how the family falls apart; the cruelty of his birth mother (Erin) to Jo as they break up, the introduction of a new love in Erin’s life and how it affects Nick, and how he deals with the whole mess.

I liked this book a lot. The characters felt so real—Julie Anne does a great job making you feel the little quirks of all her characters. Everyone is flawed; and everyone has good qualities as well. The book spans about ten years. Told in first person, Nick narrates his childhood including the struggles with bullies who taunt him about his unique family, and his grandparents who haven’t always embraced their daughter’s lifestyle. In the end, his mothers’ marriage falls apart. Like any child dealing with divorce, he has to deal with the way his parents deal with the break up.

Very contemporary—published in 2006 by Little, Brown.

Julie Ann Peters is a prolific author with many books for young adults and middle grades, some of which are about the experience of growing up gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered.

Where are the Gay Parents in Children’s Literature?

A few weeks ago, I was on a tweet chat with Jonathan Arnston, Heather Kelly, and a few other tweeps. We were talking about clichés in young adult and middle grade novels. One thing we decided was not a cliché is the presence of gay parents in children's books. 


Off the top of your head, can you name any? One? Each of us had only had one or two that occurred to us, so we decided to go in search of how children's books portray same sex parents. I was hoping to find some that portrayed non-traditional marriage as a fact of life, not as an “issue.” Happy marriages. Normal marriages. We decided to devote a week to spotlighting a few of the books we discovered.


I read four books. BETWEEN MOM AND JO by Julie Anne Peters (YA), EARTHSHINE by Theresa Nelson (MG), MOMMA, MAMA AND ME by Leslea Newman (a board book), and IN OUR MOTHERS’ HOUSE by Patricia Polocca (a longer picture book). 


The series will run Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the next two weeks.


Thanks to my friend Gary Fryns, we have a book list. Keep in mind, I have not read all of these books, just pass them along as a reference.

Middle Grade/Young Adult

The Eagle Kite, by Paula Fox (Orchard)
Earthshine, by Theresa Nelson (Orchard)
Jack, by A.M. Homes (Random House/Vintage)
Out of the Shadows, by Sue Hines (Avon)
Box Girl by Sarah Withrow

Living in Secret by Cristina Salat

Between Mom and Jo by Julie Ann Peters
THE POPULARITY PAPERS by Amy Ignatow
PEARL by Jo Knowles

Picture books:

A PET OF MY OWN by Ursula Ferro.

Dad David, Baba Chris and Me by Ed Merchant

Donovan's Big Day by Lesléa Newman

Frank and Hank Get Hitched by R.A. Carpenter

A tale of two daddies by Vanita Oelschlager

Daddy, Papa, and me by Leslea Newman

Is your family like mine? by Lois Abramchik

Two Daddies and Me by Robbi Anne Packard

Asha's mums by Rosamund Elwin and Michele Paulse

A smile so big by Kathleen Abel

best colors by Eric Hoffman

King and King by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland

And Tango makes three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell

Antonio's card by Rigoberto Gonzalez

In our mothers' house by Patricia Polacco

MOMMA, MAMA, AND ME by Lesléa Newman and Carol Thompson
UNCLE BOBBY'S WEDDING  by Sarah Brannen
MONDAY IS ONE DAY by Arthur Levine and Julian Hector 

 

Patricia Sarles has a great resource if you're looking for more picture books about the experience of knowing or having a gay parent, family member or friend.

Another great resource is GayYA, a blog about GLBT characters and pairings in Children’s Literature. The focus is not gay parents, but they have a book list if you’re looking for books with characters who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered.

Update: New Resource. Lee Wind's Blog: I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell do I Read? Again, sort of gets away from the specificity of parents, but Lee has a lot of great resources for reading material for anyone interested in reading about GLBT characters in Children's Literature.

If anyone has anything to contribute, please feel free to mention other titles in the comments, and I'll update my list. Also, if you're interested in joining and have a book or two (or more) that you'd like to feature, you may email Jon at jonarntson AT gmail DOT com or send a Twitter message to @JonathonArntson.

Volunteering for NESCBWI

A call for volunteers for the 2012 NESCBWI conference went up today (click here, The Write Joyce) and I wanted to blog a bit about the wonderful experience of volunteering.

My first writer's conference was in Nashua, NH in 2008. I was a newbie writer, and nervous about attending a conference where so many people had achieved what I desperately wanted. I tried to be unobtrusive, fly under the radar. I did meet a few newbies, like myself, but it's always hard to break into already established groups of friends. Especially when you're trying not to feel like a poser. (Or maybe, this was just me over analyzing. :) None of us are posers.)

The first conference was a great experience. But having been involved with the National Association for Campus Activities during my days as a student activities person, I knew I needed to get involved with the organization to feel like I belonged. So I filled out a volunteer form for the following year on my way out the door.

In 2009 and 2010, I helped at registration. Great way to see people (agents and editors, too!) as they check in. Scope out who you might be sitting with at your critique later. I also helped out at the book signing. Talk about a fangirl moment!

This year, in Fitchburg, I worked as a critique timer. And, having made some strides in my writing career, I served as a Special Interest Group facilitator.

Make new friends. Rub elbows with the seasoned and experienced NESCBWI members of our region. If you're interested and complete your responsibilities, you might get tapped for a more involved volunteer position next year.

If you're interested, fill out the form you can find at Joyce Shor Johnson's The Write Joyce. If you have questions about the volunteer experience, I'm happy to answer from my perspective.