Mother’s Day can be a bit fraught for any female-presenting person. When I worked in a grocery store during college and Mother’s Day rolled around, I didn’t want to wish any random woman happy Mother’s Day because…who am I to assume? Even if they have kids with them, I still didn’t want to assume. People have complicated relationships with their mothers. Maybe this stranger’s mother just died, how would I know? Meanwhile, I had some customers ask me if I was a mother just so they could wish me happy Mother’s Day, which was much more odd than ignoring it. (I also apparently went from being a “pregnancy is the worst thing that can happen to you” teenager to an “are you a mother?” young adult, which was unsettling.)
Anyway, another frustrating thing about Mother’s and Father’s Day is that…queer families exist! Single parents exist! And as someone who knew there was a chance I wouldn’t have a “traditional” family, Mother’s Day was a reminder of that.
All Moms
Moms are amazing! The care, support, and love they give make us stronger, smarter, kinder, and happier. Every mom is unique and special, so celebrate them with this beautiful picture book written by the married team of Sarah Kate Ellis, the president and CEO of GLAAD, and musician Kristen Ellis-Henderson.
All Moms is a love letter to mommies. Moms make us laugh. Moms read us stories. Moms snuggle us when we’re sad, and help us grow. Some moms are silly, some are sporty or crafty, but all moms are incredible. Moms can do anything!
Created in partnership with GLAAD, this inclusive picture book features and celebrates all different types of mommies and the amazing things they do
So, my girlfriend found this book when we were at Shakespeare & Co. in Manhattan, bought it because technically it’s “research” since we both have worked on writing picture books (hers is going on sub…mine is a half-completed draft), and we read it together sitting at the Lincoln Center Fountain.
What I love about this one is that it appears to be a generic Mother’s Day book at first, but then you realize there are two moms that are recurring. It also includes Pride and representations of other parents/guardians that can fill the role of mom(s), like two dads or a grandma.
Mama and Mommy and Me in the Middle
A little girl stays home with Mama when Mommy goes off on a work trip in this tender, inviting story that will resonate with every child who has missed a parent.
For one little girl, there’s no place she’d rather be than sitting between Mama and Mommy. So when Mommy goes away on a work trip, it’s tricky to find a good place at the table. As the days go by, Mama brings her to the library, they watch movies, and all of them talk on the phone, but she still misses Mommy as deep as the ocean and as high as an astronaut up in the stars. As they pass by a beautiful garden, the girl gets an idea . . . but when Mommy finally comes home, it takes a minute to shake off the empty feeling she felt all week before leaning in for a kiss. Michael L. Printz Award winner Nina LaCour thoughtfully renders a familiar, touching story of a child who misses a parent, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita, whose distinctive style brings charm and playfulness to this delightful family of three.
Nina LaCour wrote a picture book! What I love about this one is that it is about missing a parent who is away for a not-tragic reason (a work trip), and it just happens that the little girl has two moms. This is also biracial family representation with a little Black girl. I haven’t found this in a bookstore yet to read, but I liked the free online preview so far! The illustrations (from Kaylani Juanita) also have a lovely style.
My Moms Love Me
Two mommies share a perfect day with their little one in this joyful picture book! From visiting animals on a farm and sharing a car ride sing-along, to a sudsy bath-time and bedtime snuggles galore, love and warmth beam out of every page. Rhyming, rhythmic text from author Anna Membrino is the perfect storytime read-aloud, paired alongside luminous, glowing illustrations from artist Joy Hwang Ruiz. With the lyrical sweetness of favorites like I Love You Through and Through and Guess How Much I Love You, this picture book is the perfect way to celebrate love for LGBTQ+ families!
A just-right gift for new parents, Mothers’ Day, baby showers, birthdays, and more.
This one is for younger kiddos and is also available as a board book! It is written in rhyming couplets and is focused on a baby. This is also biracial family representation, with a white/light-skinned baby this time. It’s very cute and all about loving a baby and normalizing a family with two moms. I also didn’t find this in a bookstore yet, but I’m sure I would love it.
Some housekeeping…
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