In this chapter book series starter, third-grader Beatrice “Bee” and friends Sarah and Tiam call themselves the “Winged Wonders” after their love of bugs. The trio are excited when their teacher announces an upcoming class party—but Bee feels left out when she learns it will be a Mother’s Day party. Are her two dads invited? She’s hesitant to ask. One mean classmate, Penny, says they’re not. If they’re not invited, worries Bee, is she?
Tiam explains that there’s going to be a contest for groups of students to plan the best party; if they do, and win, Bee’s parents will definitely be included. Penny and another girl, Alysha, continue to disparage Bee and her dads, though. Despite her friends’ reassurances, Bee continues to worry that Penny is right, and that she’ll “ruin” the event if her dads are there.
Bee explains to her friends that people frequently assume she has a mom. She shares about these microaggressions, and adds that she doesn’t always want to have to explain her origin story. Even though some people may think it’s “weird” that she has two dads, she asserts, she doesn’t.
Inspiration strikes the friends, and they come up with a party plan (involving bugs, of course). They also learn that Bee isn’t the only classmate feeling left out by the event. And after some research in a thesaurus, they realize that “mother” can describe the action of bringing up a child with care, and that is the same as what it means to “parent.” Mother’s Day, they conclude, is for anyone who mothers or parents you. (Carlos Ball’s 2012 book about the history of LGBTQ family law, The Right to Be Parents, made a similar point, when he suggested that we think of “mother” and “father” as “verbs rather than as nouns” and “focus on what it means to mother and to father a child,” instead of on the gender of the parent. That implies, of course, expanding the traditional definition of “to father a child” beyond just begetting offspring, but that’s a point that Little Bee’s story understandably skips, to emphasize the key concept that parenting is parenting (or should be), no matter the gender of the parent.)
Bee finally talks with Daddy about the party, and decides she’s going to use it to celebrate not only her dads, but also her surrogate and egg donor. In the end (without revealing too many spoilers), Bee and friends find a way to make everyone in their class, from different types of families and cultural traditions, feel included—even Ayesha and Penny, whose family dynamics, it turns out, have their own challenges. (Ayesha’s mother is getting remarried, and Penny’s mother is self-centered and uninvolved in Penny’s life.)
The story has a clear pedagogical purpose, but for children who have encountered harassment, questioning, or exclusion at school because of their queer parents, it provides affirmation and positive role models (for students, parents, and teachers). Be aware, though, that Penny’s comments to Bee are very pointed; she tells Bee that changing Mother’s Day wouldn’t be fair to the “normal” kids in the class, and refers to Bee’s “so-called faaamily.” If children have not yet encountered such harassment, the tale could plant fears where none existed; adults should decide whether and when to introduce such topics.
Author Danny Neville importantly balances Bee’s agency with support from key adults, so that Bee is neither a passive subject nor lacking in assistance when she needs it. Penny and Ayesha’s family backstories also make them more than one-dimensional bullies and offer additional fodder for discussion around feelings and behaviors. This recommended book could be used as a follow-up for readers who have aged out of picture books like The Zero Dads Club and Stella Brings the Family, or for readers who missed those titles.
Bee and her dads are White; Sarah has tan skin and red hair; Tiam has brown skin and black hair, and his name suggests Persian heritage. Classmates reflect a variety of racial/ethnic identities.
(Don’t confuse this series, from Annick Press, with the many LGBTQ-inclusive titles published by Little Bee Books in partnership with GLAAD. Despite the common name, they are separate endeavors.)
