GUTHLI HAS WINGS

An imaginative transgender girl with the heart of a fairy puts on her sister’s Diwali frock to express herself and show her family who she is.

The youngest and favorite child, Guthli feels special when her mother calls her sonchiriya, her golden bird. She spends her time playing in the Satpura hills of central India, drawing fairies, swinging, and biking everywhere. For Diwali, everyone in her family wears new clothes, but Guthli wants a frilly frock like her sister’s. When she tries on her sister’s outfit, her parents, brother, and sister do not understand, but no matter what they say, Guthli knows she is a girl and a fairy. Shashi’s bright, painted-collage illustrations depict Guthli and her family with a range of brown skin tones, from her brother with golden brown skin to her father with dark brown skin. Colorful birds accompany Guthli in each scene except one, accentuating her loneliness after her family’s rejection. The text focuses on Guthli’s feelings and perspective, using the pronoun she even before anyone else supports her. Unfortunately, the narration includes the phrase “born with a boy’s body” to explain Guthli’s identity near the end. However, the central familial conflict resolves with the beginnings of acceptance from Guthli’s mother, who sees her pain, and a renewed celebration. This coming-out story creates opportunities for cultural identification along with feelings-affirming conversations about gender and autonomy. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Imported from India, a hopeful narrative with expressive illustrations.