Book Cover Image:
Book Summary: Heather loves things that come in
twos. She loves her two hands, her two
feet, and her two pets. Heather also
loves her two mommies, Mama Jane and Mama Kate.
Her two moms take great care of her and help her do all the things she
loves to do. The time comes for Heather
to begin school and she loves every part of it.
At school they build things, play dress up, have snacks and take
naps. They also discuss their families
at story time. Heather quickly realizes
that she is the only student with two mommies.
Her teacher, Ms. Molly, has all of the students draw a picture of their
families. The students quickly realize
each family is different, unique, and special, just like Heather and her two
mommies.
APA Reference of
Book:
Neman, L. (2015). Heather
has two mommies. New York, NY. Candelwick Press.
Impressions: This
is a sweet story about a little girl who has a family that loves her very much,
just as she loves them very much. Heather Has Two Mommies is a story that
was originally written in 1989 but was redone for this 2015 addition with
modern illustrations. The love between
Heather and her moms is the main theme of the story, and it is very noticeable
throughout the book.
When Heather goes to school, the reader may worry that the
fact that Heather’s family is a little different from the others, may cause
Heather to feel bad. However, it is
wonderful that the teacher handles the situation in a manner that helps the students
realize that they all have a unique family.
Some of the students have just one parent, others have grandparents who
help raise them, and Heather has two mommies.
Obviously, this could be a controversial book when used in a
school setting due to the gay topic that is presented. Teachers and librarians would need to check
on campus rules about using this book in a lesson format. If this were permissible, this would certainly
be a wonderful book for teaching about the differences found in our families.
Professional
Review:
School Library Journal
-
PreS-Gr 2—This is a new
edition of the now classic picture book, first published in 1989. The story
opens with descriptions of Heather
playing with toys in the tall grass behind her house. The child has two of many things including arms,
legs, feet, and elbows. "Heather
has two pets: a ginger-colored
cat named Gingersnap and a big black dog named Midnight. Heather also has two mommies: Mama Jane and Mama
Kate." As Heather enters
school for the first time she observes that many of the students in her
classroom have unique families. To illustrate, Ms. Molly asks the children to
draw pictures of their families. Each drawing displays the differences found
within each household, yet as Heather's
teacher comments, "The most important thing about a family is that all the
people in it love each other." The author's text is simple yet powerful in
its ability to move readers of all ages. Cornell's fluid watercolor and gouache
illustrations breathe life into this delightful story. Each page is artfully
and distinctly rendered to be a visual depiction of the beauty and joy of
diversity. VERDICT Readers will
be warmed by this glimpse into Heather's
family, whether revisiting the text or experiencing it for the first time.
Source: Moore, C. (2015). Heather has two
mommies. [Review
of the book Heather has
two mommies by L. Newman]. School Library Journal. 61(2).
Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2052/hottopics/lnacademic/?verb=sr&csi=256569
Found Through: UNT Library Database – LexisNexis Academic
Library Uses: After
reading the book, ask students to think about who lives at their home, or whom
their family consists of. Then, give students a large sheet of paper and
different art materials such as crayons, markers and paints. Ask the students to create a drawing of their
family like the students did in the story.
Make sure to allow some time at the end to discuss the pictures. Hang
the pictures up around the room or have the students stand in a circle holding
their picture out for the class to see. Let several students share and then
discuss the differences that are seen in that particular class. Make sure to emphasize the fact that all
families are unique but each one is special.
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