Book Review: Asha's Mums by Rosamund Elwin and Michele Paulse

by Hannah Crawford

Asha’s Mums is an older book (it was published in 1990 by Toronto’s Women’s Press), so it is remarkable—not to mention a little sobering—that 20 years later it is still relevant. It deals with the prejudice children with LGBT parents may face at school, from both their peers and their teachers. It is a serious topic, but the book is written in such a way as to make it more reassuring than scary for a child just starting school.

Asha’s class is taking a trip to the Science Center, and everyone, of course, is very excited. Her teacher, however, tells her that she can’t go on the trip unless she gets her permission slip filled out “correctly.” Her teacher means with the signature of her mother and father, since Asha can’t have two mums. This provokes Asha’s mothers coming to school to have a talk with her teacher, but most importantly, it is Asha herself who teaches her classmates about her family. When a girl in her class tells Asha that her father said it’s bad to have two mothers, Asha responds with confidence, “It’s not bad. My mummies said we’re a family because we live together and love each other.”

That phrase is characteristic of the simple sweetness with which the book is written. The children in the illustrations appear to be from all different backgrounds (though for some reason there appears to be only one boy in the class). The happy ending to Asha’s dilemma may not always be replicated in the real world, but her manner of handling prejudice can be a great way to begin a discussion about the issue with a young child.

Asha’s Mums is available on Amazon.com.