This slice-of-life book from 1994 is the story of a boy named Evan, his two moms (Mama Dee and Mama Gee), and their dog, Anna Day. When Evan receives a play tent for his fourth birthday, his moms can’t find the o-ring that they need to assemble it—until Evan asks Anna Day if she has it. Anna Day rolls over, revealing the missing o-ring that she had been lying on.
Based on the author’s own life, with photographs by her and Mama Gee to illustrate the story, the book also shows Evan having a friend come by for a sleepover; making French toast and going for a walk with his moms; and later telling all his friends at school about the o-ring incident. There’s clearly an effort here to show that a family with two moms does normal family things—but the book stands out among early LGBTQ-inclusive children’s books for not being “about” family structure or serious situations like parental separation/divorce, experiences of bias, or questions about the validity of the family. What the tale lacks in a smooth narrative arc it makes up for in earnestness and in its gratifyingly low-stakes problem.
