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Original poster

Books with two mummies that aren't super-twee or preachy?

34 replies

LRDtheFeministDragon · 23/01/2017 12:35

Struggling to find any books featuring two mums, which aren't either very, very twee, or intended as educational. I'd just like books that happen to feature (or show, or mention) families with two mums. The less overt the better, in a way!

Thank you. Smile

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Bloodybridget · 01/02/2017 04:53

Not actually a "lesbian mothers" book, but Sarah Garland's Coming to tea has two women living next door to each other, both with children, no men in evidence, and (possibly my imagination!) long fond looks between them! The old Puffin paperback is out of print but you might find an affordable second hand copy.

Original poster
LRDtheFeministDragon · 30/01/2017 23:47

I'll check them out on twitter then - thanks!

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EduCated · 30/01/2017 23:43

If you're on Twitter then LL are fab for recommendations, and definitely get the kind of 'incidental' diversity stuff as well as the more educational/explicit.

Original poster
LRDtheFeministDragon · 30/01/2017 22:59

Um ... that looks like the opposite to what I want? If it's 'issues' books. Their list looks like educational books designed for children to learn about these things.

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pamish · 30/01/2017 19:25

As always with these 'issues' book questions, go to Letterbox Library. They specialise in books for children and young people that actually reflect Real Life ie are anti-sexist, multicultural, and feature 'difficult' subjects. It's easier to find such books nowadays, but they have been going for over 30 years, since two women got together over the kitchen table to search for good books for their own kids, and so set up the business. All books on their list are very carefully selected and are tested on real children.

Please don't use their list for research and then buy from Ama*on.

Disclosure - I used to be their delivery driver...

Sciencemum70 · 30/01/2017 16:16

Mom, mommy and me, Heather has two mummies and We belong together worked for us (our children are 2 and 3.

CheerfulMuddler · 27/01/2017 11:46

The Daddy Machine is fun, though a bit self-published-ish (not sure if it is self-published, but it has that look about it). Two kids decide that - though they like having two mums - they'd quite like a dad as well. So they build a machine that makes dads, and chaos ensues. They end up putting all the dads back into the machine except for Dad One and Dad Two, who announced that they've fallen in love and would like to move in next door.

www.amazon.co.uk/Daddy-Machine-Johnny-Valentine-x/dp/1555838464?tag=mumsnetforum-21

The Great Big Book of Families has lots of families in it, including same sex, stepfamilies, adopted families etc. It's a non-fiction book but very light touch.

www.amazon.co.uk/Great-Big-Book-Families/dp/1847805876/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1485517581&sr=1-1&keywords=the+great+big+book+of+families&tag=mumsnetforum-21

Original poster
LRDtheFeministDragon · 26/01/2017 23:05

Ha! Grin

Now read that site and I have to share this quotation from there as it's made me chuckle:

'“One day my sister’s partner went upstairs to check on his daughter, who was six, and her friend. She said, ‘We’re playing lesbians.’ Slightly alarmed, he asked what they were doing. They’d made a den out of a blanket: ‘We’ve got our own house and we’re wearing big earrings and no make-up.'”'

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Original poster
LRDtheFeministDragon · 26/01/2017 22:50

Thanks very much, all.

I admit to a hatred of 'the different dragon,' but probably from having to read it too much for a friend's child! Grin The rest look really promising. Thanks so much.

dorcas - no, didn't know that website, thank you so much! Brilliant.

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bitingcat · 26/01/2017 22:20

Try this: www.parents.com/parenting/dynamics/gay-parents/childrens-books-with-same-ex-parents/
It seems to have some suggestions along the lines you're looking for.
I hope the link works, I've never done one before!

DorcasthePuffin · 26/01/2017 22:20

There isn't much, certainly not much that isn't American/twee. My girls both enjoyed 'If I had 100 mummies' but that's more for 6+ year olds. They also enjoyed Todd Carr though that IS American/twee (but very useful for ticking off lesbian mums/black/adopted all in one bedtime!)

Tabby McTat yes, though blink and you could miss it.

Have you looked at the website Out For Our Children? It has lists of books suitable for different age groups.

PopGoesTheWeaz · 26/01/2017 22:11

I always casually "misread" The Tiger who came to tea so that it was the little girl who saves the day with the idea of going to the cafe. I'm now wondering if a bit of felt tip you could adapt some classics Wink

IrenetheQuaint · 23/01/2017 14:33

Placemarking as my niece has two mothers and it's her birthday soon!

RedWineLush · 23/01/2017 14:27

Mummy and Mama and Me is a cute toddler book that my two loved.

penguincrumble · 23/01/2017 14:26

Internet suggests Keeshas South African adventure and The Different Dragon, sorry I know you wanted personal.

penguincrumble · 23/01/2017 14:18

Came here to say tabby mctat too, shame they don't have any children. We have a LOT of baby and toddler books and I cannot recall any others of them with two mums. I change all the characters to women but that's going to have to stop now the eldest is starting to read. Unless I get my sharpie out..

MrsNuckyThompson · 23/01/2017 13:53

Tabby McTat is the only one i can think of and someone got in there before me! Not two mummies, but they do have a family of cats!

Mooey89 · 23/01/2017 13:45

Not a book and only does it briefly but we watched storks at the cinema the other day with 3yo DS - at the end when the storks are delivering babies to all the families waiting they had a single mum, family with two mums, family with two dads, mixed raced families yada yada.
I thought it was really refreshing and it wasn't done in an overt way just included many different types of families.

Original poster
LRDtheFeministDragon · 23/01/2017 13:41

Oh, not a derail! I just misunderstood. Btw, I do also have her stuff - my list wasn't our complete book collection, just the ones I could think of quickly that had mum/dad pairs.

Tabby McTatt sounds perfect. Subtle is good. I don't want the ones that bludgeon you over the head - just ones where a child could see something that looks vaguely like two mums or two women.

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BenefitsQuestions · 23/01/2017 13:39

Tabby mctat by Julia Donaldson very casually has a lesbian couple in it who adopt the cat. But they don't have a child.

Batteriesallgone · 23/01/2017 13:37

No she doesn't sorry I was derailing there about JD Blush

Original poster
LRDtheFeministDragon · 23/01/2017 13:36

I do also like Julia Donaldson, though I didn't know she had any with same-sex mums - is that the Singing Mermaid, or another one?

I love The Tiger Who Came To Tea, but I have always heard it read with a sarcastic edge.

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Batteriesallgone · 23/01/2017 13:32

Ah. A much more classic collection than we have! I HATE the tiger who came to tea (calm down women, a MAN has arrived!) and generally older children's books do tend to be very conservative / non feminist / two-parent m/f families.

Can I recommend, from a feminist perspective, being careful with Julia Donaldson. The Singing Mermaid is basically a metaphor for the porn industry and how it ever got published is beyond me

Original poster
LRDtheFeministDragon · 23/01/2017 13:21

I wasn't specifically asking for written books - picture books would be great!

But as to why I want them - two reasons. One is that we do have a fair few baby/child books that have mum and dad in (Tiger Who Came to Tea, the Lucy and Tom books, Mog - I love Mog! - Not Now Bernard, etc.). These are nice, that's fine. Second reason is, obviously, that if your child has a mum and a dad, they probably see a lot of other children with a mum and a dad - in real life, in adverts, in stories, on the TV, etc. etc. Whereas, if your child has two mums, they are less likely to see reflections of that casually put in front of them, so you maybe need to make a bit more effort to find them.

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