Finding books that reflect my family’s structure has proven to be quite challenging. Despite the fact that my children, ages ten and eight, still enjoy snuggling with me in bed every night for a story, I know that those moments are fleeting. Soon enough, they will likely choose to read independently, and I might look back and regret not reading that extra chapter when they were close beside me. But for now, we continue our nightly ritual.
After the passing of my husband, I scoured the shelves for children’s books that addressed grief. I wanted my children to see that their feelings were valid and that our situation, while incredibly difficult, was not as isolated as it felt. Books have a unique ability to foster empathy and remind us that, even in our darkest moments, we are not alone. We’ve read countless stories centered around grief, and now we’re ready to explore narratives that don’t revolve solely around loss.
We dive into a mix of picture books, chapter books, and even lengthy novels like those in the Harry Potter series, selecting whatever piques their interest. However, we often encounter a familiar family dynamic—the traditional mom, dad, and two children—which can lead to an unspoken moment of silence each time a father figure appears in the story. As a family of three for nearly three years, we’ve grown accustomed to that pang of heartache, but I still wish that sometimes, the stories we picked up reflected a family structure that felt more like ours and less like a painful reminder.
In 2020, family compositions have evolved beyond the conventional model of a cisgender mother and father with biological children. Yet the literature available often doesn’t mirror these diverse realities. After reading books that helped us process our grief, we now seek stories filled with magic, adventure, and friendship—preferably featuring family dynamics that resemble our own.
When I searched online for “children’s books for single mothers,” the results focused heavily on the challenges of single parenthood rather than offering stories that simply reflect our lives. My attempts to find the right keywords to discover books that showcase diverse family structures without lingering on their differences yielded frustratingly limited results. The search for literature representing LGBTQ+ families proved similarly difficult. This might be due to my search skills or perhaps there is a significant gap in the available literature—books waiting to be written for families seeking adventure in worlds that don’t echo their struggles.
Despite these challenges, I’ve compiled a list of some valuable titles that celebrate various family structures, particularly beneficial for single-parent households and LGBTQ+ families.
Picture Books:
- Love Is A Family by Roma Downey, illustrated by Justine Gasquet: A young girl worries that her single-parent family will be seen as strange at school, only to discover that families come in many forms.
- Mommy, Mama, and Me and Daddy, Papa, and Me by Leslea Newman, illustrated by Carol Thompson: These sweet stories depict a toddler’s day spent with their loving parents.
- Keesha and Her Two Moms Go Swimming by Monica Bey-Clarke and Cheril N. Clarke: Keesha learns the importance of kindness and sharing during a swimming trip with her moms.
For Younger Readers:
- Amber Brown Is Not A Crayon by Paula Danziger: The story follows Amber navigating her parents’ divorce and the changes in her friendship with Justin.
- Just Under The Clouds by Melissa Sarno: This novel tells of Cora, a middle schooler facing homelessness while caring for her little sister after their father’s death.
- Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary: A classic tale of a boy adjusting to life with his mother post-divorce, finding solace in letters to his favorite author.
For Older Readers:
- A Dog Called Homeless by Sarah Lean: Cally believes she can see her deceased mother and must convince her family of her presence.
- To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han: Lara, raised by her single father, faces unexpected complications when her secret love letters are sent out.
- Lenny’s Book of Everything by Karen Foxle: This story explores grief and family through the eyes of Lenny and her brother, Davey, who battles a rare condition.
- Being Fishkill by Ruth Lehrer: Fishkill learns to navigate life after the death of her grandfather, finding a new family with a friend and her mother.
As we continue to seek out diverse narratives, I hope to discover more books that resonate with our family’s unique structure. For additional parenting resources, including insights into home insemination, you can explore this helpful blog post.
In conclusion, it’s clear that the literary world still has much progress to make in representing the full spectrum of family dynamics. For those navigating similar journeys, it’s worth seeking out stories that validate our experiences while also providing spaces for magic and adventure.