Willhoite, M. (1990). Daddy's roommate. Los Angeles: Alyson Publications.
Daddy’s Roommate tells the story of a little boy whose parents are divorced and whose father begins dating and living with another man named Frank. The book shows the boy as being accepting and loving to Frank as they do normal, everyday activities together. The book also shows the boy’s Daddy and Frank performing their daily activities such as sleeping, cooking, and shopping together, as any “normal” straight couple would. It isn’t until the end of the book that the little boy tells the reader that his Daddy and Frank are gay and that “being gay is just one more kind of love” (Willhoite, 26).
I thought that the illustrations and text in the book was straight-forward and could be easily understood and read by young children. The book conveys an overall message that being gay is not really that much different than being straight, besides the fact that the relationship is not about a man and a woman. Because the book depicts Daddy and Frank as they go about their everyday lives, it shows the reader that it is natural and “normal” to be gay just as it is to be straight. I liked that the book showed the little boy accepting his father and Frank as a couple and the issue of being gay didn’t seem to be a big deal in the book. In my professional resource, Emfinger mentions that “Rarely do books portray LGBT characters as normal people living everyday lives” (Emfinger, 24). I think this book does an excellent job of showing LGBT characters as regular people, much the same as straight people. I think that one of the reasons why there is so much controversy surrounding this book is because there are a couple illustrations and text that show the two men in bed together and in their underwear shaving together. While some parents may find this disturbing and too mature to show to their young children, I disagree. We have to show students that gay couples are a reality, and the longer we keep pretending that homosexuality is just a phase or an “issue” we have to deal with, the more homophobia and prejudice will remain prevalent in our society. Similar to Molly’s Family, this book also emphasizes the fact that all family make-ups are different, whether gay or straight. We need to teach students that it is okay to be different because that is what makes us unique. I would definitely recommend Daddy’s Roommate as an exemplary piece of LGBT children’s literature because it sends positive messages and is one of the few books that shows LGBT characters performing normal, everyday activities.
I thought that the illustrations and text in the book was straight-forward and could be easily understood and read by young children. The book conveys an overall message that being gay is not really that much different than being straight, besides the fact that the relationship is not about a man and a woman. Because the book depicts Daddy and Frank as they go about their everyday lives, it shows the reader that it is natural and “normal” to be gay just as it is to be straight. I liked that the book showed the little boy accepting his father and Frank as a couple and the issue of being gay didn’t seem to be a big deal in the book. In my professional resource, Emfinger mentions that “Rarely do books portray LGBT characters as normal people living everyday lives” (Emfinger, 24). I think this book does an excellent job of showing LGBT characters as regular people, much the same as straight people. I think that one of the reasons why there is so much controversy surrounding this book is because there are a couple illustrations and text that show the two men in bed together and in their underwear shaving together. While some parents may find this disturbing and too mature to show to their young children, I disagree. We have to show students that gay couples are a reality, and the longer we keep pretending that homosexuality is just a phase or an “issue” we have to deal with, the more homophobia and prejudice will remain prevalent in our society. Similar to Molly’s Family, this book also emphasizes the fact that all family make-ups are different, whether gay or straight. We need to teach students that it is okay to be different because that is what makes us unique. I would definitely recommend Daddy’s Roommate as an exemplary piece of LGBT children’s literature because it sends positive messages and is one of the few books that shows LGBT characters performing normal, everyday activities.
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