SILAS ON STAGE

In Shoemaker’s picture book, one in a series, a budding young thespian works to make a church pageant a success—despite not landing the part they auditioned for.

Silas, a brown-skinned child with a pageboy haircut, is a born actor (“I’m ready for my close-up!”). Excited to audition for their church’s Christmas pageant, they make their own angel costume, learn their lines, and audition. When the cast is announced, however, Silas is listed not as the angel but as a shepherd. Silas wanted to sparkle; their parents assure them that they can do so in any role. On the night of the performance, the boy cast as the angel goes missing. Silas finds him hiding in a closet, crying because his costume doesn’t fit. Silas helps to adjust the boy’s halo and belt, and the show goes ahead, to roaring success. Shoemaker narrates with straightforward, nonrhyming text. Silas is coded as nonbinary, using they/them pronouns. Refreshingly, their gender identity isn’t the focus of the story—it’s an aspect of Silas that’s accepted without comment in a setting that includes, as depicted in Taranggana’s upbeat, appealing illustrations, children of various ethnicities (one of the cast members uses a wheelchair). Supported by their parents, Silas quickly comes to embrace the moral that many helpers make a success, and they’re all stars of the show—a welcome message indeed.

A well-pitched story of inclusiveness and community endeavor.