Title: A Tale of Two Mommies

Author: Vanita Oelschlager


Illustrator: Mike Blanc 

Genre: LGBTQIA, Children’s Fiction




Rating: 3 out of 5 fairies












Where to buy: Amazon


Synopsis: A Tale of Two Mommies is a beach conversation among three children. One boy asks another boy about having two mommies. A young girl listening in asks some questions too.
True to a child’s curiosity, practical questions follow. “Which mom is there when you want to go fishing? / Which mom helps out when Kitty goes missing?” To which he answers: “Mommy helps when I want to go fishing. / Both Mommies help when Kitty goes missing.”
A Tale of Two Mommies is intended for 4-8 year olds.
This book lets us look inside one non-traditional family, a same sex couple and their son. As the children talk, it’s clear this boy lives in a nurturing environment where the biggest issues are the everyday challenges of growing up.

About the Author: Vanita Oelschlager is a wife, mother,grandmother, former teacher, current caregiver and, for almost ten years, author and poet.
She was born and raised near Pittsburgh. She is a graduate of Mt. Union College in Alliance, Ohio, where she currently serves as a Trustee.
She has also supported and helped Jim as he built Oak Associates, ltd. into a successful investment management firm.
Today, as an accomplished author, Vanita shares openly the experiences that she, Jim and their families have had with multiple sclerosis. She has likened MS to living with an elephant, one that won’t go away or be ignored. Together, she and Jim have found ways to live with this “elephant”, and to share some of the larger lessons about life they’ve learned through the disease.


About the Illustrator: Mike Blanc is a life-long professional artist who has illustrated countless publications for both corporate and public interests worldwide. Accomplished in traditional drawing and painting techniques, he currently works almost exclusively in digital media. His first book, Francesca, was written by Vanita Oelschlager and published in 2008. Their second collaboration, Postcards from a War, followed in 2009. Additional titles with Vanita are Bonyo Bonyo, The True Story of a Brave Boy from Kenya, and A Tale of Two Daddies, both co-illustrated with associate artist Kristin Blackwood.

Review: A good book, with great illustrations, but not a spectacular one. Although many typical questions are covered that children might ask, it feels like there was a missed opportunity to go deeper into how families with two mommies really aren’t that different from the traditional family, and how sometimes they can be better in some ways. A good introductory book for very young children, but would not recommend for older children or those already exposed to families with two moms.









Title: A Tale of Two Daddies

Author: Vanita Oelschlager

Illustrators: Mike Blanc, Kristin Blackwood 

Genre: LGBTQIA, Children’s Fiction






Rating: 3 out of 5 fairies






Where to buy: Amazon

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.

About the Author: Vanita Oelschlager is a wife, mother,grandmother, former teacher, current caregiver and, for almost ten years, author and poet.
She was born and raised near Pittsburgh. She is a graduate of Mt. Union College in Alliance, Ohio, where she currently serves as a Trustee.
She has also supported and helped Jim as he built Oak Associates, ltd. into a successful investment management firm.
Today, as an accomplished author, Vanita shares openly the experiences that she, Jim and their families have had with multiple sclerosis. She has likened MS to living with an elephant, one that won’t go away or be ignored. Together, she and Jim have found ways to live with this “elephant”, and to share some of the larger lessons about life they’ve learned through the disease.

About the Illustrators: Mike Blanc is a life-long professional artist who has illustrated countless publications for both corporate and public interests worldwide. Accomplished in traditional drawing and painting techniques, he currently works almost exclusively in digital media. His first book, Francesca, was written by Vanita Oelschlager and published in 2008. Their second collaboration, Postcards from a War, followed in 2009. Additional titles with Vanita are Bonyo Bonyo, The True Story of a Brave Boy from Kenya, and A Tale of Two Daddies, both co-illustrated with associate artist Kristin Blackwood.
Kristin Blackwood is a teacher and frequent illustrator of books for children. Her works of art are published in: My Grampy Can’t Walk, Let Me Bee, What Pet Will I Get?, Made in China, Big Blue, Ivy in Bloom, and Ivan’s Great Fall. A graduate of Kent State University, Kristin has a degree in Art History. When she isn’t designing or teaching, she enjoys being a mother to her two daughters.

Review: Unfortunately, like the Two Mommies book, this book while a good story falls short. A good introductory story if a child has never been exposed to a family with two daddies, but it lacks a real insight into tolerance and how life isn’t really that different.