In two new picture books, acclaimed authors bring us stories of a child with a same-gender crush speaking up at school to address exclusion, and of one with two moms who rallies her community in the face of bias.
My reviews of each title are below. They are very different tales, though they share a common theme of creating change—and of children with strength and agency whose actions are then supported by the adults in their lives.
Poppy’s Question, by Nicole Melleby, illustrated by Forrest Burdett (LIttle, Brown): Melleby, author of numerous acclaimed LGBTQ-inclusive titles for a variety of ages, here brings us a sweet story about the importance of inclusive representation, role models, and asking questions in order to drive change.
Poppy is always eager to get to school—not because she likes school so much, but because she gets to sit next to Ava, who shares her pencils and whose bouncy curls sometimes brush Poppy’s shoulder. Poppy doesn’t like, though, when Ava wants to play house and insists that a boy play the daddy while Ava plays the mommy.
One day, the teacher tries to reinforce the idea that the letters “Q” and “U” go together by having a wedding for Mr. Q and Ms. U. The other children happily draw things that begin with “QU,” but Poppy just looks sad. When Ava asks why, Poppy explains that she doesn’t want them to marry, and she doesn’t want to play house with a boy as the daddy. Ava thinks she means that Poppy wants to be the daddy, but Poppy clarifies: “I want to be mommies together.”
Ava is on board with this. Hand in hand, they approach the teacher, Ms. Merrimack. Poppy asks if next time, Ms. Q can marry Ms. U. The teacher reflects that maybe, the letters shouldn’t be Mr. or Ms. at all. “They’re letters. You should be able to imagine them however you’d like,” she says.
If that was all that this book showed us, it would be enough: the message that not everything has to be gendered or wrapped in images of heterosexuality. But since the author is Melleby, it goes even deeper. Ms. Merrimack’s wife picks her up after school, and when Poppy sees them together, she “smiled her biggest smile.” Even LGBTQ people, it seems, aren’t immune from sometimes offering only limited representation (perhaps because of their own childhood models—see more below re: the Author’s Note). We also see, however, the importance of real-life representation, not just that in books and lessons.
A final page also shows Poppy and Ava side by side, arms around each other, sticking together “like Q and U,” a joyous and rare picture-book model of what can easily be seen as a crush between two young girls.
Melleby’s storytelling is spot-on, not over-explaining, and working perfectly in tandem with Forrest Burdett’s dynamic illustrations to convey the emotions of the characters. The young protagonist has agency, and finds the strength to ask a question and express her feelings, but is not burdened with finding a solution all on her own; the adult in the situation is perceptive enough to take appropriate action. There’s a message here, but it’s presented with nuance and care.
An Author’s Note explains that the idea for the book came from Melleby’s own wife, whose kindergarten teacher used to hold a wedding for Mr. Q and Mrs. U. There are many ways children learn about the world, Melleby explains, and she urges adults to “make more mindful choices so that every kid can see themself reflected as they grow into whoever they might be.” This highly recommended story should help both children and adults in those quests.
Rainbow Cookies, by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Z.B. Asterplume (Levine Querido): Newman, the venerable author of Heather Has Two Mommies and more than 80 other titles, here brings us another, very different, tale of a two-mom family. A girl named Cookie loves going to the local bakery with her two moms, where the owner, Ms. Madeleine, bakes a new special cookie each month. For June, she’s made heart-shaped cookies striped with a rainbow, and wishes the family “Happy Pride.”
Not everyone is happy about the rainbow cookies, though; one customer cancelled an order for 60 cookies and left a nasty note on the door of the shop. Other customers follow suit, and Ms. Madeleine worries she might have to close the shop.
Cookie wants to help—but her family alone can’t simply buy all of the cookies from cancelled orders, even if Cookie adds all of the coins from her piggy bank. It seems that the original customer has a lot of friends.
That gives Cookie an idea, though, and she sets out with determination to find friends and neighbors who will help the bakery. Her moms go around the neighborhood with her. The next day, everyone rallies outside the shop, bedecked in rainbows. Ms. Madeleine is overwhelmed by the show of support as the community celebrates “More sweetness, less hate!”
Newman once again demonstrates her superlative storytelling skills and descriptive flair, which help immerse the reader in the story. “The Cookie Cubby smells like a holiday!” Cookie observes at one point. Illustrator Z.B. Asterplume’s watercolor images are bright and warm, perfect for the vibe of the tale. The wraparound cover shows the rainbow-clad community lining up for cookies, while endpapers showing an array of cookies add a fun extra touch.
There is bias shown here, yes, but there is also support, community, and empowerment. For young readers experiencing bias in their real lives, the book offers a reminder that there are also people of kindness and love, and that working together, we can overcome the hate and fear. I particularly like that Cookie takes the lead on responding to the situation. Her moms aren’t pushing her into action (not every child will want to be an activist)—but once she decides to act, they are there to support her efforts.
While not every LGBTQ-inclusive children’s book needs to be about bias (and there are happily a growing number in which the characters’ queerness is incidental to the story), there is still, unfortunately, bias in the world, and thus an ongoing need for books that give children the skills for dealing with it. Newman, with her years of insight and experience, thoughtfully helps address that need in a productive way.
While the characters are fictional, Newman says in an Author’s Note that the story was inspired by several true tales of bakeries around the U.S. (Baking and LGBTQ rights have a storied history indeed, as I explained in 2017 and 2022.) A recipe for “Love Is Love Rainbow Cookies” (a frosted sugar cookie) rounds out the backmatter.
A well-baked and highly recommended story.