Search for lesbian grandmothers who inspired children’s book
Mama G is trying to find two women who inspired a new children's book about lesbian grandparents and Pride.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
A chance conversation at Blackpool Pride pushed performer and author Mama G to write a picture book centering older queer women. She now wants to dedicate the book to the two lesbian grandmothers who sparked it, but has not been able to identify them.
A performer heard two grandmas say books did not show people like them, so he wrote one. It is like adding a missing family photo to a picture album so more children can see themselves in stories.
Analysis
A chance encounter turned into a book
Mama G, whose real name is Robert Pearce, says two women at a Blackpool Pride reading in 2021 asked whether there were any children's books about lesbian grandmothers. He says the question caught him off guard because he could not think of one, and the exchange stayed with him.
That conversation became the seed for The Proudest Bird in the World, a picture book due out on 1 July. In the story, an ordinary white bird named Gilbert wants to express who they really are and ends up at a Pride parade, where they learn that identity and pride do not have to be hidden. The book's central figures are two lesbian grandparents who help explain the meaning of the rainbow flag to Gilbert and their granddaughter.
Mama G says the encounter was a wake-up call about representation. He argues that lesbian visibility is much lower than gay male visibility in mainstream media, and that older LGBT people are even less visible than younger queer characters. The article also cites a 2022 US study that found children's LGBTQ+ books have increased since 2000, but that some groups remain rare or absent from central roles.
Publishing barriers
The piece also places the book in a wider publishing context. Mama G says larger publishers were not comfortable with his first book, Oh Yes I Am!, which was eventually published in 2023 by a smaller independent company. He says independent publishers are often more willing to take risks on diverse stories, while bigger firms may hesitate because of profit concerns or pushback around queer themes.
For now, the search for the two women continues. Mama G says he would like to dedicate the new book to them if they can be found, and hopes they will be proud to have helped inspire it.
Key points
- Mama G is trying to find two lesbian grandmothers who inspired a new children's picture book.
- The idea came from a 2021 Blackpool Pride reading, when the women asked for books featuring lesbian grandmothers.
- The new book, The Proudest Bird in the World, centers older queer women and is due to be published on 1 July.
- Mama G says representation for lesbian and older LGBT people is still limited in children's publishing and wider media.
- He says smaller independent publishers have been more willing than larger ones to take on his diverse stories.
If the search succeeds, the two women could be publicly credited for inspiring a book that puts older lesbian characters at the center. The book could also encourage publishers to take more risks on stories about underrepresented families and queer older adults.
If the women are never found, the dedication the author wants may never happen, and the personal story behind the book could remain incomplete. The article also suggests the broader problem may persist if larger publishers keep avoiding diverse children's books.
