LGBTQ people, families, and their friends and neighbors fill the pages of this bright alphabet board book that takes us from Activism to Ze/Zir. While a few of the pages showcase words directly related to LGBTQ identities, the majority focus on words that simply express the joy and pride of the LGBTQ community, such as Equality, Family, Hug, Kindness, Open-Minded, and Unity. A few offer glimpses of LGBTQ history, such as the Stonewall Inn and the Rainbow Flag (with an image of creator Gilbert Baker).
Each pages uses the “[Letter] is for [word]” format, leaving actual definitions of the words to the backmatter, a smart approach that avoids trying to define terms accurately in the limited space of a board book page.
The illustrations by Greg Paprocki are colorful, with a retro vibe, and full of fun details for readers to discover. There are individuals, couples, and families of various genders, racial/ethnic identities, ages, and body types, along with a bevy of frolicsome pets.
As with any alphabet book, decisions had to be made about which word to feature for each letter, and not every reader may agree with the choices. Some might especially quibble that neither “Lesbian” nor “Bi” is depicted here (although they’re mentioned in the backmatter as part of the LGBTQ acronym). Keeping “L” for “Love” seems a fair tradeoff, though, especially because the image for “Gay” shows two women. (Couples of other genders appear on other pages.) Keeping “B” for “Bedazzle” feels a little more questionable. “Nonbinary,” “Queer,” and “Transgender” do get dedicated pages, though.
My only quibble is with the image for “Transgender,” which shows a balding person in a man’s shirt and shorts, looking at either a painting or a freestanding, full-length mirror (it’s unclear) and seeing a woman in a halter top and capris. I’m guessing the intent is that the person is seeing their true self in the painting or mirror, but I think this will go over the heads of young readers, who will (incorrectly) see this as an image of a man looking at an image of a woman. A clearer way to convey a trans identity here might have been simply to show the image of a trans person wearing a trans flag (or “Proud to be trans” t-shirt or the like) and just doing something fun (as the characters do on other pages).
Overall, however, this is a fun book that captures the spirit of the LGBTQ community and may set the stage for further conversations as a child grows.
