“Billy’s family was not what you’d call ordinary”—but it’s not because he has two moms. It’s because they love sea shanties, have a pet parrot, and prefer navigating by old maps. That’s why Billy is hesitant when his teachers asks the moms to chaperone a class trip to the seaside. He tries to stop them, but to no avail. They start to head out dressed in their finest pirate wear. “Can’t you be normal? Just for today?” Billy asks in frustration. In deference, they tone down their clothes. On the trip, though, the ship is caught in a sudden storm, and it’s up to the moms and their sea savvy to save the day. In the end, Billy agrees that sometimes not being ordinary can be a good thing.
On one level, this is simply a fun and rollicking adventure that should resonate with any kid who was ever embarrassed by their parents, i.e, most of them. Author Jodie Lancet-Grant also cleverly avoids giving us yet another story about a kid who feels different because of having same-sex parents—we have tales aplenty like that. Instead, the parents’ queerness is not even mentioned and is probably the least interesting thing about them. At the same time, there’s a message here about finding strength in difference that kids with queer parents (or any kind of “different” family) should particularly appreciate.
Queer readers and their kids may also get an extra smile seeing the rainbow-colored flares that the moms set off at one point, implying that it’s their difference which gives them their power, but the story loses little if the flares are simply seen as colorful. In other words, this highly recommended book will appeal to a wide range of readers and families, even though there’s a message here that kids in queer families may pick up on faster than most.
One mom and the child have white skin and red hair; the other mom has tan skin and black hair.
Published in the U.K. in 2021 by Oxford University Press as The Pirate Mums; the U.S. version has some small changes to a few words (e.g., “pongy” becomes “stinky”).
