This book 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, it employs 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 like a conversation with author Lindz Amer, creator of the wonderful Queer Kid Stuff video series and author of the picture book Hooray for She, He, Ze, and They! What Are Your Pronouns Today? and Rainbow Parenting, a book for grown-ups about raising kids in gender-inclusive ways. Amer here introduces themself and shares their own journey of self-discovery, from being a child who loved wearing overalls to someone who knew that they/them pronouns felt right for them. Gender affirming care helped them in this journey, they say, and in fact, “Gender affirming care is for everyone,” since “It’s all about figuring out how you feel on the INSIDE, and how that can show up on the OUTSIDE.”
I love this positioning, which correctly shows that gender affirming care isn’t just something that trans and nonbinary people receive (or have foisted upon them, as some would incorrectly have you believe). It’s not just medical care, either, but rather a whole range of ways in which people’s genders are supported and affirmed. It’s about love, respect, and helping people to be their authentic selves. At the same time, the book also shows readers what it means to be transgender and/or queer, what transitioning can look like, and the positive impact of supportive care.
Amer has long helped young people understand LGBTQ-related topics in simple, age-appropriate, but accurate ways, and this compassionate, inclusive, and recommended title adds to their helpful work.
