A sweet picture book about a confident child who refuses to be defined by gender shows that when we encourage play without gender stereotypes, all children benefit.
The story centers on a young child named Jamie, who is excited about starting a new school and making new friends. But when Jamie starts to play with boys and then girls, some of the other children are confused. One boy asks if Jamie is strong enough to fix a toy truck. A girl tells Jamie that in order to do ballet, one has to wear a frilly tutu—but Jamie defies expectations by doing “a perfect pirouette in pants and sneakers.” Jamie then helps another girl soothe her baby doll, “just like my mommy,” the girl says.
The day continues like this, and the affable Jamie interacts with several classmates, both boys and girls. When one boy asks Jamie “Are you a boy?” because “Only boys can play with action figures,” Jamie simply replies, “I’m Jamie,” and begins playing. At the end of the day, Jamie leaves and the other children positively discuss the various skills Jamie demonstrated, like being graceful, fixing the car, and caring for the doll. Then one asks, “Is Jamie a boy or a girl?”
Kudos to author Afsaneh Moradian for not turning this into a “very important teaching moment” in which an adult delivers an explanation about gender or tries to label Jamie. Instead, she empowers the children to drive the action. Another child simply comments that although she doesn’t know the answer, she can’t wait to play with Jamie again. “That was a lot of fun!” she says. The next day, we see the kids again at play, and this time, both boys and girls are playing with both dolls and action figures. Jamie is happy “because everyone was playing exactly what they wanted to play.”
We never learn Jamie’s gender, and that’s just fine. Even better, Jamie is from the start self-assured about who Jamie is—and that helps all of the children become more comfortable being who they are.
Maria Bogade’s illustrations are cheerful and bright, and she makes Jamie’s gender perfectly ambiguous. Jamie is shown as White, while classmates are of various racial and ethnic backgrounds. One wears a hijab.
This bright book may help increase acceptance of gender creative and nonbinary kids while also shattering gender stereotypes for children of all genders. It’s definitely one to add to your shelves or recommend for a classroom.
