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THE SECRET WISH OF DRAGON H by Ilara  Stefaniuk-Gaudet

THE SECRET WISH OF DRAGON H

by Ilara Stefaniuk-Gaudet

Pub Date: Oct. 19th, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5255-1090-8
Publisher: FriesenPress

A colorful picture book about a gentle dragon that addresses transgender concepts.

Horus the dragon lives in a village, where he takes care of kittens at the animal shelter and sings in his church choir. Horus also has a deep, secret sadness. As a boy dragon, he can breathe fire, but he longs to have beautiful wings and other things that are only part of a girl dragon’s life. For many years, Horus buries his true self and cries alone in his bungalow, until one Sunday, when a beautiful dragon with rainbow wings speaks at his church. Horus learns that he isn’t alone in feeling that his body isn’t quite right for him, and he finally gets wings and becomes Harriet, the female dragon that she was always meant to be. Horus/Harriet is an appealing, stereotype-busting character and debut author/illustrator Stefaniuk-Gaudet’s images are effective, with bright colors and engaging details. At times, the book’s language gets a bit complex for kids: “They were talking about exciting new 3D printing technology that could potentially help little boy dragons grow up into lady dragons.” Overall, however, it fulfills its promise as a good place to begin a discussion of transgender identity with youngsters.

An educational tale that may help kids understand the feelings of transgender people.