Mommy, Mama and ME

Product Information

I enjoyed this book because it was very simplistic, easy for early readers to read and comprehend, and can be extended to early elementary students as a mini lesson to guide discussion around various family units. These poems will resonant with all who have lost a parent, relative, spouse, friend, or anyone whom they dearly love.

Lesléa Newman is the author of 75 books for readers of all ages including the teen novel in verse, OCTOBER MOURNING: A SONG FOR MATTHEW SHEPARD; the middle grade novel, HACHIKO WAITS; the poetry collection, I CARRY MY MOTHER; the short story collection, A LETTER TO HARVEY MILK; and the children's books, A SWEET PASSOVER, THE BOY WHO CRIED FABULOUS, KETZEL, THE CAT WHO COMPOSED, and HEATHER HAS TWO MOMMIES. As a result, sometimes board books are simplified adaptations of already existing picture books, and sometimes they are written with the intention of beginning and ending their lives as board books (though if you're Sandra Boynton, sometimes you'll see the rare board book to picture book crossover). The illustrations and the language used in reading the book are substantive without being inaccessible to younger children. My absolute favorite thing about this book and the follow-up story, Daddy, Papa, and Me, is that at no point is there an effort to say "this is what it's like to have same-gender parents. If you are concerned about the health and wellbeing of yourself or children in your care, you should always consult an appropriate healthcare professional.

Also, I could use body movements for children to have a better connection with the story and pictures. If I were a child, I probably would not have noticed the two moms and no dad, I would be focused on the activities they were doing.

The writing is pretty straightforward—no frills and complexities and ‘coming-out’ problems and all that jazz. The two mothers, however, are represented in a positive light, showing that they have a happy family with the characters smiling in each image. Whether intended for the child of same-sex parents, who needs to see her reality reflected in the books around her, or for the child of heterosexual couples, who needs to see that families come in every shape and size, this (together with its companion, Daddy, Papa, and Me) would make a lovely gift! To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Share the loving bond between same-sex parents and their children in this hearttwearming story of family.

I've wonder for some time about how one could enter into a discussion about matters related to LGBTQ people with younger children; this picture book offers a developmentally appropriate way of doing so for early elementary children. I would emphasize are the great things the moms are doing and try to relate to things that their parents do for them. The illustrations look to be water color or crayon like to make the pages very pleasing and relaxing to read and look through. Credit to author Leslea Newman and illustrator Carol Thompson for producing not one but two titles ( Mommy, Mama, and Me and Daddy, Papa, and Me) for new families.