Books for all types of families

• Published October 31, 2008

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"Heather Has Two Mommies" was a landmark book in my life.

As a self-admitted bibliophile, I have an extensive library. Queer books for children and adults are among them.

"Heather Has Two Mommies" came out as I was experiencing parenting for the first time. I had jumped headfirst into my first lesbian relationship, and the woman had a young child.

For someone with an appreciation for books, this one resonated with me. It was a bedtime story that showed the family we had created. The book broke boundaries in portraying two lesbian mothers raising a child as normal and acceptable. It was a picture book for the children of queer parents — and it showed the child in a happy family.

"Heather" also made waves nationally. The book frequently found itself in the American Library Association's top-10 list of banned books during the 1990s. Several years it was in the top three. It generated arguments over family values and morals.

In early 1998, the Rev. Robert Jeffress in Wichita Falls, Kan., refused to return copies of "Heather Has Two Mommies" and "Daddy's Roommate" brought to him by one of his parishioners.

"Everyone has to make their own decision as to what to do," Jeffress told the Wichita Times Record.

It should be noted that he did write the library a check for $54 in replacement costs and fines.

That chain of events eventually led the City Council to create a "parental access" area of the library that was available only to patrons 18 and older.

Both of the children's books were relegated to an area off limits to children.

The Freedom to Read Foundation got involved in 2000 and filed a suit seeking to put the books back in the children's section of the library. The suit was settled out of court.

The outcry in South Sound was not quite egregious.

Jackie Marquardt, children's book selector at the Timberland Regional Library service center, said there were similar requests in South Sound libraries.

"When 'Daddy's Roommate' first came out, there was a request to have that pulled," said Marquardt.

Kim Storbeck, Timberland Regional Library's temporary collection service manager, echoed that.

"There was a request to pull it pretty much immediately," Storbeck said. "The library board decided to keep the book."

Like most libraries, the Timberland Regional Library system picks books based on positive reviews in professional journals.

"We like to have at least one review," Storbeck said.

But beyond the positive reviews, there is demand for the public library to represent the diverse interests and lifestyles of the community it serves.

"There was demand for these kinds of books because we have families who are looking for books to represent their lifestyles," Marquardt said.

And with 27 branches, Timberland is reaching a good portion of the same-sex households in southwestern Washington.

A study published in July by The Williams Institute, part of the University of California at Los Angeles' School of Law, estimates there are nearly 11,000 same-sex couples in Washington.

Even if just a portion of those are raising children, that's a lot of couples who can find their families reflected in the pages of a bedtime story.

Book selectors such as Marquardt try their best to represent all views — whether or not they personally agree with the subject matter.

Timberland also has books available such as "A Parent's Guide to Preventing Homosexuality" that offer a vastly different opinion on raising children.

I can't say I support those books, but they have every right to be on the same shelves "Heather Has Two Mommies" and "Daddy's Roommate" sit on.

Nobody has a right to restrict free words.

Ruth Schneider is an avid reader. Contact her at rschneider@theolympian.com or call 360-704-6873.

Good books

The following books are available through the Timberland Regional Library system:

• "Heather Has Two Mommies" by Leslea Newman and Diane Souza: The story of a preschooler who learns that her playmates have different families from hers.

• "Daddy's Roommate" by Michael Willhoite: A young boy describes his father's relationship with his roommate.

• "The Daddy Machine" by Johnny Valentine and Lynette Schmidt: Two kids with lesbian mothers wonder what it would be like to have a father, so they make themselves a daddy machine.

• "And Tango Makes Three" by Justin Richardson: Two male penguins who had eyes for only each other raised a young penguin together.

• "King and King" by Linda de Haan: When the queen urges the prince to get married and take over as king, the search for a suitable spouse does not turn out as expected.