User:Jwaldman8/Heather Has Two Mommies/Bibliography

Works Cited

American Library Association. Banned & Challenged Books. American Library Association, 2019. Web.


 * Includes good information about not only heather has two mommies but also many other banned and challenged books and it gives insights on commonalities between the two but also shows what separates heather has two mommies from others.

Esposito, Jennifer. We’re here, We’re Queer, but We’re just Like Heterosexuals: A Cultural Studies Analysis of Lesbian Themed Children’s Books. Educational Foundations, 2009. Web.


 * Heteronormativity creates heterosexuality as the quintessential ideal of sexuality, as the most natural state of being. This normalization, in turn, marginalizes homosexuality so that it becomes viewed as unnatural and immoral. To examine such representation, five children's picture books that include lesbian mothers and their children are analyzed in this article: (1) "Is Your Family Like Mine?" by Lois Abramchik; (2) "Asha's Mums" by Rosamund Elwin and Michele Paulse; (3) "Molly's Family" by Nancy Garden; (4) "Heather Has Two Mommies" by Leslea Newman; and (5) "The Daddy Machine" by Johnny Valentine. Using evidence from the picture books, four themes are examined: (1) Problematizing of not having a daddy; (2) De-queering; (3) "Don't ask, don't tell" policy; and (4) Catalyst for heterosexual growth. The texts examined here have posited that lesbian families are "just like" heterosexual families. The intended message seems to be that because lesbian families mimic heterosexual families, they should be accepted.

Excerpts from Jamie Campbell Naidoo's Rainbow Family Collections (1).Web


 * A very good resource for LGBTQ inclusive children’s literature. A good start for developing a collection that is representative of all people. This excellent resource includes a history of LGBTQ literature for children, information on understanding rainbow families, suggestions for library services to rainbow families, and tips on evaluating LGBTQ materials.

Goodhand, Margaret, and Kathleen M. Brown. "Heteronormativity in Elementary Schools: The Hidden and Evaded Curricula of Gender Diversity." International Journal of School and Cognitive Psychology 3.3 (2016)CrossRef. Web.


 * The culture of elementary schools has a significant impact on a child’s academic, social, and emotional well-being. Unfortunately, research indicates that most schools in the US tend to perpetuate a heteronormative culture that denies, silences, and stigmatizes children who display any atypical gender behavior and/or are perceived to be lesbian or gay. The purpose of this study was to explore educators’ beliefs about, awareness of, and willingness to confront heteronormativity. Results indicate that teachers want to embrace diversity broadly defined but 1) are fearful but willing, 2) recognize barriers, 3) desire more information and support, and 4) acknowledge the need to begin early.

Miller, Alyson. "Unsuited to Age Group: The Scandals of Children's Literature." College Literature 41.2 (2014): 120-40. CrossRef. Web.


 * Will critically explore the public debates surrounding the exposure of children to literature (from picture books to young adult novels) that contains a reference to homosexuality or sexual behavior more generally. In an indescribably wide range of social institutions, and in the most standard accounts of the world, queer struggles aim not just at toleration or equal status but at challenging those institutions and accounts.

Newman, Leslea. Heather Has Two Mommies. Candlewick; Reprint edition print.


 * Heather's favorite number is two. She has two arms, two legs, and two pets. And she also has two mommies. When Heather goes to school for the first time, someone asks her about her daddy, but Heather doesn't have a daddy. Then something interesting happens. When Heather and her classmates all draw pictures of their families, not one drawing is the same. It doesn't matter who makes up a family, the teacher says, because "the most important thing about a family is that all the people in it love one another

Peel, Katie R. "An Interview with Lesléa Newman: A Punchy New Heather, Dolly Parton, and Orange Is the New Black." Journal of lesbian studies 19.4 (2015): 470-83. MEDLINE. Web.


 * This interview with Lesléa Newman took place on Monday, September 22, 2014. Newman, while quite prolific, is probably best known for her children's picture book, Heather Has Two Mommies, initially published in 1989. Heather became the cultural touchstone in discussions of not only lesbianism and children's literature, but book challenges and censorship, as well. In this interview, Newman speaks about the evolution of Heather and her various editions, new frontiers in both children's literature and representations of lesbians, identity politics and authorship, transgender issues and children's literature, and the continued need for diversity in literature for young readers.

Sanders, April, and Janelle Mathis. "Gay and Lesbian Literature in the Classroom." Journal of Praxis in Multicultural Education 7.1 (2013): 1-18. Web


 * Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) characters do exist in children’s and young adult literature, yet there is a lack of classroom exposure to such literature. Educational organizations have realized the need for dispelling prejudices about LGBT people by including such texts in the classroom as well as discussions regarding LGBT themes and characters in the books. Yet the practice of simply including diverse texts without discussing LGBT issues could cause greater marginalization for students because the silence regarding LGBT issues and characters encourages the practice of heteronormativity. This inquiry examined a range of children’s and adolescent books that could be used in classroom discussions to develop insight about LGBT themes and characters in order to understand if the texts were saturated with LGBT themes and characters to the point that teachers and students could not avoid the LGBT factors while reading.

Yampell, Cat. Other Voices. Alyson Wonderland Publishing, 1999. Web.


 * This is a PowerPoint presentation that I found about Gay/Lesbian materials for young children and it directly addresses heather has two mommies. It has a lot of interesting information and statistics that provide a lot of insight into the subject. It also has a big reference section that gives me a lot of good sources.