An attempt at a child-friendly explanation of gender transitioning that fumbles.
A young child tells their school friends about their sister’s transition.
The main character, a light-skinned, overalls-clad child with curly brown hair, is questioned by their diverse classmates about where their “brother” has gone. “Was he eaten by a WHALE or SHARK?” the kids ask. “Was he taken to Mars by aliens?” The narrator responds to each line of questioning with a firm “Hey, you need to chill” before finally revealing that their sibling has transitioned and is now their sister, Lily (light-skinned and brown-haired), who’s “still clever and funny and kind and cool.” While the message that other people’s gender transitions are really not that big a deal is an important one, the titular refrain seems unnecessarily defensive and even a bit callous given that the other children are confused rather than unaccepting. (Indeed, they don’t say anything when they find out, let alone anything mean, and they smile upon seeing Lily come to pick the narrator up from school.) Because readers don’t find out where Lily is until more than halfway through the story—after the kids have suggested a series of more and more outlandish scenarios—the revelation feels like a gotcha moment that inadvertently others and sensationalizes trans people. The book also features Lily’s deadname several times—another misstep. The meter is uneven but readable, while the cute, scribbly illustrations are a strong point. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An attempt at a child-friendly explanation of gender transitioning that fumbles. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781728275529
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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