Two new LGBTQ-inclusive picture books are out today, one starring a wig belonging to a young drag star and the other starring Betty White and a boy with two dads! Read on for reviews.
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Big Wig, by Jonathan Hillman and illustrated by Levi Hastings (Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster). Wig, a swirly pink headpiece, belongs to drag queen B.B. Bedazzle, “the most fabulous queen by far” (who in non-drag persona is a young child who reads as a White boy). When B.B. performs, Wig grows and feels tall. When B.B. goes to the “Big Wig Ball,” however, Wig feels small compared to some of the other wigs and “wigs out,” flying off B.B.’s head in a panic. It is only by seeing how she inspires others that Wig regains the confidence she needs to return to B.B., just in time for the drag contest.
This is a fun read, with bouncy rhymes, swirling colors, and lettering that towers and twirls. Notably, B.B.’s mom and dad are clearly supportive of their young star. While there are a few small narrative flaws that I explain in my full review, this is a delightful and welcome addition to the growing number of picture books about drag.
That’s Betty! The Story of Betty White, by Gregory Bonsignore and illustrated by Jennifer M. Potter (Henry Holt). A boy (who happens to have two dads) needs to do a school presentation on a trailblazing woman. “That’s Betty!” he immediately thinks, referring to actor Betty White. Although his teacher and one dad keep asking if he’d rather choose “someone more traditional,” he persists, with the help of a mysterious, older blond woman who shows up at the library and seems to know an awful lot about Betty’s life….
The stiff dialogue and ridiculous comparison of the boy’s not “traditional” (but in fact fairly ordinary) presentation about White with the actually untraditional things White did rings hollow, as I explain in my full review. All but the most ardent White fans may wish to pass.
Bonus fun fact: In one scene, the dads are reading the boy a story before bed. The title isn’t shown, but the cover illustration clearly indicates that it is Papa, Daddy, and Riley, another book about a two-dad family (and from a different publisher, no less; I wonder if the editors of That’s Betty at Henry Holt/MacKids even recognized the reference).