Lindz Amer, creator of the wonderful Queer Kid Stuff video series and author of Rainbow Parenting, a book for grown-ups about raising kids in gender-inclusive ways, here turns their talents to an affirming and exuberant picture book celebrating pronouns and the joy of finding the right one.
In their trademark conversational style, narrator Lindz introduces themselves and their pronouns (they/them), and asks readers about theirs. They then explain that pronouns are what we use to tell people about our gender, “that tingly feeling inside that tells you who you are and how you want to express yourself to the world.”
Lindz shares some possible pronouns, including he, she, they, ze, and more. They remind readers that they can choose the pronouns that feel right to them, because the right ones “feel super-cool-totally-awesome-amazingly-wonderful, just like YOU!” Using the right pronouns is as comforting as a favorite sweater or a warm hug, or like any of several other delightful analogies shown across subsequent pages. It’s also okay, they say reassuringly, if none of the pronouns in the book are the right ones, or if you don’t know your pronouns yet.
In Queer Kid Stuff and their other work, Amer has always blended pedagogy with a sense of joy, and that skill is on full display here as they both explain pronouns in a kid-friendly way and show rather than tell us what gender euphoria can be. The book also supports a suggestion in Rainbow Parenting, where they advise adults to check in with young people about their pronouns, allowing room for change or fluctuation. “All you have to do is ask: ‘What are your pronouns today?'” Amer wrote in that book; here, they give parents and other grown-ups an aid to doing so.
Kip Alizadeh’s bright watercolor and pencil illustrations reflect and enhance the lively text, showing children with a variety of clothing, skin tones, and hairstyles as swirls of color weave around them, outward expressions of their inner joy. Narrator Lindz is drawn on the first and last pages, and one spread shows both Lindz and Alizadeh high-fiving over their own gender euphoria, perhaps reminding young readers that there are adults who have been through gender journeys and are happy as a result.
Backmatter includes a short “Dear Grown-ups” note from Amer about their own gender journey, and a note from Alizadeh about the artistic inspirations for the book.
A highly recommended addition to the growing number of children’s books about pronouns.
