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Saturday Is Pattyday
Although Frankie is hurt and confused when his two mommies separate, he is comforted by knowing that Patty will still be part of his life.
- GenresLGBTPicture Books
Paperback
First published August 1, 1993
1 person is currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
Lesléa Newman
106 books251 followersLesléa Newman (born 1955, Brooklyn, NY) is the author of over 50 books including Heather Has Two Mommies, A Letter To Harvey Milk, Writing From The Heart, In Every Laugh a Tear, The Femme Mystique, Still Life with Buddy, Fat Chance and Out of the Closet and Nothing to Wear.
She has received many literary awards including Poetry Fellowships from the Massachusetts Artists Fellowship Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, the Highlights for Children Fiction Writing Award, the James Baldwin Award for Cultural Achievement, and two Pushcart Prize Nominations.
Nine of her books have been Lambda Literary Award finalists.
Ms. Newman wrote Heather Has Two Mommies, the first children's book to portray lesbian families in a positive way, and has followed up this pioneering work with several more children's books on lesbian and gay families: Gloria Goes To Gay Pride, Belinda's Bouquet, Too Far Away to Touch, and Saturday Is Pattyday.
She is also the author of many books for adults that deal with lesbian identity, Jewish identity and the intersection and collision between the two. Other topics Ms. Newman explores include AIDS, eating disorders, butch/femme relationships and sexual abuse. Her award-winning short story, A Letter To Harvey Milk has been made into a film and adapted for the stage.
In addition to being an author, Ms. Newman is a popular guest lecturer, and has spoken on college campuses across the country including Harvard University, Yale University, the University of Oregon, Bryn Mawr College, Smith College and the University of Judaism. From 2005-2009, Lesléa was a faculty member of the Stonecoast MFA program at the University of Southern Maine. Currently, she is the Poet Laureate of Northampton, MA.
She has received many literary awards including Poetry Fellowships from the Massachusetts Artists Fellowship Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, the Highlights for Children Fiction Writing Award, the James Baldwin Award for Cultural Achievement, and two Pushcart Prize Nominations.
Nine of her books have been Lambda Literary Award finalists.
Ms. Newman wrote Heather Has Two Mommies, the first children's book to portray lesbian families in a positive way, and has followed up this pioneering work with several more children's books on lesbian and gay families: Gloria Goes To Gay Pride, Belinda's Bouquet, Too Far Away to Touch, and Saturday Is Pattyday.
She is also the author of many books for adults that deal with lesbian identity, Jewish identity and the intersection and collision between the two. Other topics Ms. Newman explores include AIDS, eating disorders, butch/femme relationships and sexual abuse. Her award-winning short story, A Letter To Harvey Milk has been made into a film and adapted for the stage.
In addition to being an author, Ms. Newman is a popular guest lecturer, and has spoken on college campuses across the country including Harvard University, Yale University, the University of Oregon, Bryn Mawr College, Smith College and the University of Judaism. From 2005-2009, Lesléa was a faculty member of the Stonecoast MFA program at the University of Southern Maine. Currently, she is the Poet Laureate of Northampton, MA.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 21, 2013
Saturday is Pattyday is the saddest book that I was able to find. However, I think it could possibly be my favorite. It is also written by Leslea Newman who is a homosexual woman that writes about real-world experiences of our culture. This book is about a young girl named Frankie who once lived with her two mothers. Sadly, her mothers would fight all of the time and they subsequently divorced. Frankie stayed with her mother Allie and they were very sad without Patty being there. Frankie called Patty one day and Patty told her that Saturdays will be from then on, Pattyday. It is so sad but I thought that was so special. My most favorite feature of this book is the illustrations. Every other page is drawn in black and white rather than in color. This adds a whole new level of depth to the book and it really gives the story life and makes you feel the emotion even more.
I would definitely incorporate this book into my classroom because not only does it touch on the diversity aspect of same sex couples, but it also touches on a very important part of life which many kids go through which is divorce. I am sure that some of my kids will be able to relate to losing a parent or living in a single parent household. I really like how the books that I have found all touch on different aspects of the gay culture. Even though we have our own culture, we still experience issues that heterosexual couples and families experience.
The characters of this book include Frankie the daughter, Allie the mother who she lives with, and Patty the mother she visits on Saturdays which is Pattryday.
I would definitely incorporate this book into my classroom because not only does it touch on the diversity aspect of same sex couples, but it also touches on a very important part of life which many kids go through which is divorce. I am sure that some of my kids will be able to relate to losing a parent or living in a single parent household. I really like how the books that I have found all touch on different aspects of the gay culture. Even though we have our own culture, we still experience issues that heterosexual couples and families experience.
The characters of this book include Frankie the daughter, Allie the mother who she lives with, and Patty the mother she visits on Saturdays which is Pattryday.
February 11, 2012
This is a book that deals with divorce from a kid's perspective. I can relate to the little boy listening to his parents fight in the middle of the night curled in bed, afraid. The morale of the story is "even though we could not stop fighting, we will always love you and be your parents." I also quite fond of the boy's toy "Doris Deloris Dinosaur." Overall, a good read to help children process what is happening to them or might be happening to a classmate.
The reason I didn't give the book five stars is because of the illustrations. The ones in color are quite nice, but the artist's style does not translate well to black and white. About half the pages are in black and white. It's a little distracting. Also, the text is over the illustration and, in some cases, difficult to read because of it.
This books gets a PRGS award (http://kvsdesigns.com/blog/book-awards/) because it just so happens the boy's parents are both women. This is an incidental fact rather than a main feature or factor in the story.
The reason I didn't give the book five stars is because of the illustrations. The ones in color are quite nice, but the artist's style does not translate well to black and white. About half the pages are in black and white. It's a little distracting. Also, the text is over the illustration and, in some cases, difficult to read because of it.
This books gets a PRGS award (http://kvsdesigns.com/blog/book-awards/) because it just so happens the boy's parents are both women. This is an incidental fact rather than a main feature or factor in the story.
October 14, 2014
Saturday is Pattyday is about a little boy whose mothers get divorced and he is very sad and has to wait until Saturday to see his mother Patty. When Saturday arrives Frankie goes to Patty’s house and they go have a picnic. While at the picnic Frankie and Patty get into an argument and Frankie gets upset and tells Patty that he does not want them to get a divorce. Patty calms Frankie down and tells him that kids do not get divorced. When they are finish having their picnic they go back to Patty’s house and they do other activities until it is time for Frankie’s other mother to come pick him up. This story great when teaching students about families. This book gives children multiple perspectives on families. This family has two mothers and they are divorced. The illustrations enhance the already amazing story and allows the children's interest while the text is read aloud.
June 2, 2019
The kid has a dinosaur named Doris Delores Brontosaurus which is pretty great. The art is really nice, though I wish every page was colored instead of some of them being in black and white. And it’s a sweet story, with the voice of the four year old (maybe older but the kid felt four) feeling very honest.
February 25, 2010
An okay story, more about how a kid deals with his parents' divorce than having two moms. The illustrations in the edition I read were not so great, and sometimes they obscured the text. Two-and-a-half stars, maybe?
June 20, 2012
It's one of the few books I've found for children dealing with the divorce of same-sex parents. The illustrations on some pages make it hard to read the text, which is unfortunate for a children's book. Better illustrations, full color, and fixing the text layout would greatly improve this book.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews