*Review* A Tale of Two Daddies by Vanita Oelschlager

Genre: Children's Illustrated/LGBTQIA

Published: October 22, 2013

Pages: 42

Ages: 4-8

Synopsis

A Tale of Two Daddies is a playground conversation between two children. The boy says he heard that the girl has two dads. The girl says that is right--she has Daddy and Poppa. True to a child’s curiosity, practical questions follow: "Which dad helps when your team needs a coach? / Which dad cooks you eggs and toast?” To which she answers: "Daddy is my soccer coach. / Poppa cooks me eggs and toast.”


Intended for 4- to 8-year-olds, this book introduces a type of family increasingly visible in modern society. Neither favoring nor condemning, it reflects a child’s practical and innocent look at the adults who nurture and love her. It becomes clear that the family bond is unburdened by any cultural discomforts.

Review

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cute story with fairly simple but colorful illustrations to help children understand that children of same sex partners don't really have a vastly different home life than children of opposite sex partners do. It shows that a child will essentially still get everything that they need from their parents, like help with math or bandaids for a hurt knee, regardless of whether the parents are a mommy and daddy or two daddies.

I read this story to my 4 year old and she said it was good. Her favorite part is that the girl had two daddies. She even thinks we need two daddies now, but she wants to keep her mommy too. She didn't like it when the girl had a skinned knee, but says it was good that one of her daddies put a bandaid on it.

Overall I give this book 5 out of 5 stars because it's easy for children to understand and the illustrations were well done. - Katie 

Buy the Book

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About the Author

Vanita Oelschlager is a wife, mother, grandmother, philanthropist, former teacher, current caregiver, author and poet. She is a graduate of Mt. Union College in Alliance, Ohio, where she currently serves as a Trustee. Vanita is also Writer in Residence for the Literacy Program at The University of Akron.

About the Illustrator

Kristin Blackwood is an experienced illustrator. Some of her other books include My Grampy Can’t Walk; Let Me Bee; Big Blue; Made In China; What Pet Will I Get?; Ivy in Bloom and Ivan’s Great Fall. She uses a linoleum reduction technique for creating the illustrations for this story. Kristin lives in Lakewood, Ohio, with her two daughters.