This books is part of the lauded A Kids Book About (AKBA) collection (one of Oprah’s Favorite Things 2020), which began with A Kids Book About Racism and now has books on subjects like belonging, feminism, gratitude, cancer, and other sometimes challenging topics. Like the rest of the AKBA collection, A Kids Book About Gay Parents has no pictures, instead employing bright colors and a variety of fonts to make the words themselves the visual part of the story. It is also designed to be read by a child and adult together, with room for discussion.
The book reads less like a story and more like a conversation with the authors, Jonathan and Thomas West, who share their journey to becoming the adoptive parents of four. They also reinforce the more general messages that families come in many forms and that anyone can build a family.
The text seems slightly more targeted to ally (and potential) ally families who may not have encountered many or any families with gay parents before, versus families with gay parents themselves. “This book is designed to help people learn that the kids of gay parents, are loved, wanted, and they belong, and to teach them that families are built on love, no matter who their parents are,” they say. At the same time, they also note, “Our story shows others they are not alone and can be proud of who they are,” so kids with gay parents and gay kids, too, particularly in places where there are not many of them, may get much from this book as well.
They briefly mention different paths to parenthood and different family structures beyond their own. They note, too, that they feel it is important for their kids to know where they came from, and that they want to stay true to their kids’ inherited traditions.
When Jonathan and Thomas were growing up, they tell us, they didn’t see people in their communities or in the media who looked like them, and they didn’t see families like theirs. That’s a little vague; adults may need to explain to young readers that they’re (presumably) talking about being a two-dad family, not about being a family with two White parents or an adoptive family. The dads go on to say that it’s important for them to be as visible as possible as a family, promoting “acceptance through visibility.” They want readers to know that whoever they are, they can build a family, too.
The authors offer details of their family life (from bike riding to popcorn eating), weave in touches of light humor (like mentioning their dogs, ducks, and chickens), and emphasize that they want to “be normal, just like your family.” Not all queer families may agree with the goal of normalcy, but the idea that many families do similar everyday things is an important concept.
The authors do mention that “Some people think families should only be a mom, a dad, and kids, but we know that’s not true.” That’s something adults will likely want to discuss further with their kids, as it’s a potentially troubling idea (albeit a true one)—but the overall emphasis of the book is on the love within their family and the things they do together, not on the bias they’ve faced.
I love that the book shows their personal family journey in the context of the broader message. It grounds the message in a real story and connects the concepts to real lives. This book should find a happy place on many home bookshelves and be a useful tool in schools and libraries as well.
