“Many words that start with ‘bi’ mean ‘two,'” begins this gentle and informative book. As two unnamed children, one pale and one tan, play on a beach, they interact with a variety of “bi” things, as A.J. Irving’s text offers lyrical descriptions. “Two wheels to roll, race, and explore,” says a page with bicycles. Other pages tout bivalves, binoculars, and more, including bilingual and biracial people.
One special “bi” word “can mean ‘more than two,” however, the book concludes: “Bisexuality. Because bi hearts love in a rainbow of ways.”
To be perfectly clear for anyone concerned about this: There is no mention of sex in the book. “Bisexuality” is described only as above, as a way of loving. There is nothing age-inappropriate about that.
Cynthia Alonso’s softly colored pencil illustrations lean into the pink, purple, and blue shades of the bi flag, supplemented with vibrant yellow and a variety of skin tones. A glossary at the end offers further information about the words and phrases introduced, which may be particularly useful for “bilateral symmetry.”
This is one of few picture books that even uses the term “bisexual(ity)” or that depicts clearly bi people. It’s the only one I’m aware of that focuses on the concept.
I’ll note that many members of same-sex couples in other picture books are not specifically labeled as lesbian or gay, and thus could be read as bi, too. Sometimes that ambiguity can be beneficial, letting a wide range of readers see themselves or their parents reflected in those stories—but there’s also something to be said for actually naming identities and giving readers the language and concepts needed to better understand the people around them, and perhaps even themselves.
The Bi Book thus importantly fills a gap, particularly for families with bi people in them. Bi parents in fact comprise 72% of all LGBTQ parents per UCLA’s Williams Institute. It’s about time they and their children, and all children who will grow up to love in a rainbow of ways, had a book to call their own. This is a lovely and recommended one.
