Just in time for the holidays, I’m relaunching an updated Mombian Shop, chock full of books, music, videos, toys, baby gear, and lots of things for house and home. You’ll find items geared towards children of same-sex parents and items celebrating lesbian culture, but also more general categories of products. We’re a diverse lot, really, […]
A trashy lesbian romance? A dark allegory about modern life? A young-adult mystery? If you think you have it in you, give it a try during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), in which participants attempt to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel between November 1 and November 30. The object is not necessarily to produce a
My three-year-old son and I have long been fans of Don Freeman’s Corduroy and A Pocket for Corduroy books. Corduroy is an inquisitive teddy bear whose understated adventures are charming and funny without sliding into cutesiness. More than anything else, the books are about the power of the friendship between the bear and his human
Before You Were Born: Our Wish for a Baby is a book series by registered nurse Janice Grimes, who works in an IVF (in vitro fertilization) clinic and is an IVF mom herself. The series is intended to help parents explain genetic origins to children conceived by assisted reproduction. Each of the sixteen volumes explains
Tomorrow begins the 25th annual Banned Books Week (BBW), which “celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them.” Despite the
Kim Ficera writes on AfterEllen.com about the demise of fictional tomboyish role models on TV. Although it’s easy now to turn on the TV and find a lesbian, “she looks more like a centerfold than a centerfielder,” Ficera says. “I watched [1970’s characters] Buddy and Jo because they were strong, independent and boyish, just like
All Aboard!, by Mary Lyn Ray, is a nice book discovery for the pre- and elementary-school set. You probably won’t find it on the promotional displays at your local bookstore, though, since it was published back in 2002. Not just another train story, it will appeal also to any child who has a favorite stuffed
My son’s book collection is full of classics, like the works of Dr. Seuss and Eric Carle. He has a number of Caldecott and Newbery Award winners. Sometimes, however, it’s fun to find books that may be just shy of top-tier classics, yet still have something to recommend them. Often, these books, especially if they’re
Last week, I launched the beta test of Mombian Books, a place where we can share recommendations of good books for and about our families. Because it’s a group effort, it will reflect a wider variety of books and viewpoints than a list compiled by one person. I’ve just created some Mombian Books badges you
I’m very excited to announce the beta launch of Mombian Books, a place for people in LGBT families to share book ideas. I’ve found that although there are lots of LGBT-family booklists around, they tend to repeat many of the same books (Heather Has Two Mommies, Daddy’s Roommate, etc.), with maybe a few unique ones
