By Leslea Newman
Heather has two mothers and no daddy, and at school she learns that all kinds of families are just fine.
Heather is happy at home with her two mothers, Mama Jane the doctor and Mama Kate the carpenter. It's only at her first day of playgroup, when the other children talk about their daddies, that Heather notices her family looks different, and it worries her for a moment. Then the teacher has everyone draw their families, and out come all sorts: single parents, step-parents, grandparents, two moms, two dads. Heather sees that the one thing every family shares is love.
This was one of the first picture books to show a two-mom family, and it stays simple and warm: a child, her home, a small worry, and a gentle answer. It works because it keeps to a preschooler's eye level. The point isn't a debate, it's that Heather's family loves each other and that's what makes a family. For a child in a two-mom or two-dad home, it's the plain reassurance of seeing themselves on the page.