Clear, direct, affirming, and conversational, this is a terrific introduction to pronouns for ages 5 to 9—and for parents, teachers, and other adults reading with kids of that age.
The volume is part of the lauded A Kids Book About (AKBA) collection (one of Oprah’s Favorite Things 2020), which began with A Kids Book About Racism and now has books on subjects like belonging, feminism, gratitude, cancer, and other sometimes challenging topics. Like the rest of the AKBA collection, A Kids Book About Pronouns has no pictures, instead employing bright colors and a variety of fonts to make the words themselves the visual part of the story. It is also designed to be read by a child and adult together, with room for discussion.
The book reads less like a story and more like a conversation with authors Courtney and Lee Wells, both therapists and parents, who share their own pronouns (they/them and she/her, respectively), and explain that “A pronoun says, “Hey, I see you! Even when I’m not using your name,” which is as good a definition as I’ve ever seen. A beautiful spread then displays a variety of pronouns, traditional and new (like ze/zir), but also notes that some people don’t use any pronouns.
The Wells then go on to say that pronouns help everyone express who they are. Language is important, and words give us options about how we want to explain ourselves to others, which may or may not fit the she/he binary. They acknowledge that people can feel “confused and uncertain” about the idea of more than two options for pronouns, but tell readers that it’s okay to ask questions, make mistakes, and even feel discomfort while learning new things.
They also offer young readers a tantalizing idea: That they will be experts in knowing about pronouns, “while grownups are mostly beginners.” Grownups need to abandon older assumptions and practice asking about pronouns, they say, but “It’s not about being right all the time; it’s about being loving with the effort.”
They end by assuring readers it’s okay if this is the first time they’ve thought about pronouns, if they’re not sure what pronouns fit, if they change their pronouns, or if reading the book has made them “feel scared, excited, confused, or something else entirely.” No matter what pronouns (or none) you use, they tell readers, you are lovable and valuable.
