Jane Severance

Randall Tarpey-Schwed's Synopsis and Analysis: Lots of Mommies is the second book by Jane Severance. Severence's first book, When Megan Went Away, is considered the first children's book to explore the topic of same gender parents, and interestingly it explores the emotional difficulties that the child progaganist experiences when her mother breaks up with her partner. Both books were published by Lollipop Power Press, which described itself as "a feminist collective that writes, illustrates, and publishes books to counteract sex-sterotyped behavior and role models presented by society to young children". Lollipop actively published during the 1970s and 80s, but the imprint name has been subsumed by Carolina Wren Press which continues to distribute a few of the non-gender-stereotyping titles, but not the more "edgy" books that addressed same-gender parents or transgender issues. Lots of Mommies does not have a specifically same-gender parents theme, but rather, seems to be portraying a sort of feminist commune. "Each woman helped take care of Emily [the girl]. Each liked to do special things with her." Jill is described as Emily's mother, who is studying to become an electrician. The message seems to be that this is a non-traditional family, with four unrelated women each having a part in running the household, including caring for Emily. There is no overt lesbian theme, but it can be inferred [particularly in the context of Severance's previous book When Megan Went Away], that perhaps the women portrayed in Lots of Mommies are lesbians, who may or may not be romantically linked. This is a groundbreaking,and scarce work.… (meer)