Asha's Mums

by Rosamund Elwin, Michele Paulse, Dawn Lee (Illustrator)

Asha, an African-Canadian girl whose lesbian mums become an issue for the teacher and the curiosity of classmates, responds with clarity and assuredness that having two mums is no big deal--they are a family.

Genres: LGBT, Picture Books, Childrens, Banned Books, Family, Canada

24 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1990

Reviews

[Jesus Sauceda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very interesting to read about why it is banned. At first the book was banned in many states and even providences in Canada because of the depiction of a gay couple. The book was later revisited and unbanned in, but recently after the book was unbanned, it was banned again this time on the count of bad grammar, bad depiction of men, and inappropriate for kindergarten. This is a banned book where I do not agree with the decision. It seems like the decision was made years ago in a different time where that population may have not been looked at positively. But students are going to run into this in the real world almost everyday. The power of the LGBTQ+ community and the revolution it has caused is a topic students will have to learn about so this book being banned is counteractive. Also, I feel like the book is banned for its depiction of a gay couple but the bad grammar is used as an excuse of some sort. This is the first time I've disagreed with the banning of a book.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book Asha has two mums, and her teacher doesn’t believe her. The teacher is not going to let Asha go on the school field trip unless she has her mom and her dad sign the permission slip. This book is from 1990, and it shouldn’t be banned. Asha has to teach her teacher and her classmates that people do have two moms. What this teacher leaves out is single moms. That was also a thing in 1990. If you needed a dad and a mom to sign a permission slip, there might be a lot of kids not going. The story is great for it’s time, but there are so many better now. Partly this is for the illustrations that slip from color to black and white for no reason, multiple times throughout. For the time, this book would have been special and needed, for modern times, it would go in the weed pile.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 3 out of 5]

'"My mum and dad said you can't have two mothers living together. My dad says it's bad,' Coreen insisted. 'It's not bad. My mummies said we're a family because we live together and love each other,' I said. 'But how come you have two?' Judi asked. Before I could answer Terrence said to Ms. Samuels, 'Is it wrong to have two mummies?' 'Well...' Ms. Samuels began but Diane yelled, 'It's not wrong if they're nice to you and if you like them.' Everyone began talking at once. It got really noisy. The bell rang and I didn't get to finish my story."

Published in Canada in 1990, this is a foundational picture book about a young girl with two moms.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was published in the 1990s, so it feels a little weird to read now. I wonder if a teacher would still hand back a form and say "uh you can't have two moms." The reaction from the other kids--that I believe would still happen.

This was on the We Are Kid Lit 2019 Summer Reading List.

[Jeff Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Asha is told she cannot go on a field trip because her form is filled out incorrectly ‐‐ it says she has two mums. Her classmates debate the issue and defend her. Asha’s moms talk to the school and resolve the problem. This book not only addresses the inequity in the phrasing of forms, but also shows Asha in a position of confidence, in which she is proud of her loving family. The authors, Rosamund Elwind and Michele Paulse are lesbians and thus have the experience to draw on when it comes to the ways in which these inequities affected their lives. The illustrator, Dawn Lee, shows the characters in as accurate a way as possible, including in that accuracy their ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The speech patterns used in the story correspond to the speech patterns used at that level of development, but the language is not necessarily appropriate for younger children. Overall, this a wonderful book that presents and gives solution to a problem that society has shown time and again that it hasn't really been willing to fix. Hopefully, this book will help to open those doors more effectively in the future.

[Janice Redding · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a young girl who wants to go on a field trip with her class, unless her permission form is filled out by her correct parents. When Asha, the main character in the story returns the form signed by her two mums and not a dad and a mom, Asha’s classmates and teachers not only question her integrity, but question whether it is okay to have two mum’s. Although Asha’s classmates and teacher, excluding her two best friends, did not believe her, Asha continued to love, support, and accept her family the way it was. I can use this book in my text set to distinguish different types of parents, which this book include a family of having two moms. Also, I can use this book to introduce the importance of being a good friend and aceepting others. This will be a great book to read to students in Pre-K and Kindergarten, especially because the topic of being a good friend is taught at an early grade level.

[Emilie Liebert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a girl named Asha who has two moms. Only her two best friends believe her. Her teacher tells her she can't possibly have two moms when she turns in a permission slip to go on a trip to the science center. Her class agrees. Asha's moms come to the school and work it out with the teacher, and soon the other students come to accept it. It's a nice book, not too long, but has plenty of detail. Probably best for kindergarten through 3rd grade. The artwork is fairly realistic.

[Christa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read about a kiddo with two moms who had to deal with her teacher's assumptions about what a family should look like.

[Three O'Clock Press]

When Asha's lesbian mums become an issue for the teacher and the curiosity of classmates, Asha responds that having two mums is not a big deal. They are a family.

[Evan Williamson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Banned book. Quick read.

[Brittany]

This book is written on an elementary level. Tells of how Asha's home life was different from all of her friends and how she felt different. This teaches of inclusion in the classroom, no matter what kind of home life a child has.

[Akena]

I started reading this book and Asha was to return her form back to her parents because it was "filled" out incorrectly. Asha has two moms, in which is why her form was not filled out correctly, because she doesn't have a mom and a dad. It raised a flag to me because I find it very imperative for there to be forms that just have the title "parent or guardian" instead of "mother and father". You never know what a child could have at home. I will recommend this book though, its a interesting read with a lot of details!