This book is one of a set of three titles by “champions” of the GenderCool Project, a youth-led movement of teens who are speaking out to show that transgender and non-binary youth can thrive. The books are part of the lauded A Kids Book About (AKBA) collection (named as one of Oprah’s Favorite Things 2020), which began in 2019 with A Kids Book About Racism, and continues with volumes on other important topics that can be challenging to discuss. The GenderCool series is aimed at children ages 5 to 9, but written by the teen champions, who share their personal stories as a way to open up conversations about gender, identity, and inclusion. Like the rest of the AKBA books, the GenderCool ones use bright colors and a variety of fonts rather than pictures, keeping the focus on the words and giving the books a conversational feel. All of the AKBA books also note, “This book is best read together, grownup and kid.”
In this volume, Ashton Mota and Rebekah Bruesehoff explain that they are both transgender, which isn’t a choice—but being inclusive is. They discuss the power that simple actions, like smiling or waving at someone, can have to help someone feel less alone. While they each draw on their own experiences as trans youth, they say, too, that “people can feel excluded because of their skin color, or their religion, their gender, the way they dress, if they have a disability, what language they speak—and for so many other reasons.” They also share examples of feeling included or helping someone else feel included that have nothing to do with their trans identities. This is a refreshing reminder that trans people don’t always have to talk about trans topics—they have lots of things to say about lots of other topics, too, even while their perspectives are shaped by the entirety of who they are.
The personal examples and conversational tone keep the book from feeling preachy as Mota and Bruesehoff suggest specific ways of reaching out to be more inclusive and encourage readers to find more ways of doing so in their own lives.
