WHEN YOU'RE A BOY

A child navigates the wilderness of boyhood.

In this poetic meditation on masculinity, an unnamed boy, who has medium-brown skin, along with his lighter-skinned, dark-haired father figure, wind their way past the ocean, through the woods, and up a mountain. The beautiful illustrations combine rough brush strokes and cute, simplistic faces with expertly captured light, color, and emotions. Meanwhile, the narrator, who may or may not be the boy depicted, uses natural similes to describe what is typically expected of boys—ferocity, strength, drive, violence, surety—as well as the softer, gentler things in life from which the narrator has learned to draw real power. The text does not inherently imply that those traditional masculine traits are always bad; after all, oceans, thunder, and mountains are just as much a part of nature as butterflies and flowers. Yet it expands the horizons of what it means to be powerful, including such things as patience, healing, and saying “sorry.” The first few sets of traits are more loosely connected, with the juxtaposition crystalizing as the book goes on, but overall the story reads smoothly, making its point succinctly and artfully. This is a great book to include in a child’s picture-book rotation, especially a young boy’s, and perhaps a jumping-off point for discussing the messages about masculinity that he may be receiving elsewhere.

An affirming inoculation against toxic masculinity.