HARPER BECOMES A BIG SISTER

Harper excitedly anticipates the arrival of her new brother and imagines everything they’ll do together.

Harper loves spending time with Daddy and Dad. When her fathers tell her that they’ll be adopting a new baby soon, she’s eager to share all her favorite family activities with him, from playing hide-and-seek to going down the slide. When Wyatt comes home, Harper gets to hold him, but all her beloved pastimes are put on hold when her dads spend their time tending to Wyatt’s needs. Harper finally vents her frustrations when Taco Tuesday is canceled, leading to a family discussion about what has changed and what has not. Dreamy illustrations depict Harper being swept away with her hopes for the new baby; after reality sets in, the artwork shows her frowning. While Harper’s emotional outbursts are resolved unrealistically quickly—and Harper’s response feels implausibly mature (“Instead of the three of us loving each other, the four of us will love each other…I have loved him from the second I met him”)—the message that there’s more than enough love to go around nevertheless is effectively conveyed while giving families with two fathers a sweet and useful tool to help introduce new siblings. Harper and Daddy are brown-skinned, while Dad and Wyatt are lighter-skinned.

A new-baby story that will serve as a welcome mirror for queer families.