Toby Wears a Tutu

Told from the first-person perspective of the titular character, a young, Black child who is ready for the first day of school with a “freshly shaved head, purple glasses, button-down blouse, dapper blue bow tie, and frilly pink tutu.” Toby confidently asserts, “The world is mine to discover.” Other kids tease about whether Toby is a boy or a girl, however. Back home, Toby’s White mother advises that labels don’t matter and encourages Toby to speak with the other kids. Toby summons courage to tell them the various things Toby likes to eat, wear, do, and be, and how Toby sometimes feels like a boy, sometimes like a girl, and most times in between. In the end, Toby gets invited to go play kickball. “It’s amazing to just be a me,” Toby concludes. While Toby doesn’t step too far from the storylines in many other picture books about nonbinary and/or gender creative children, it nevertheless holds its own with them.

Full review.