“All bodies are good bodies,” asserts this board book about gender. Gender isn’t something we can tell from looking at our bodies, but is something we feel on the inside, it explains. And while babies can’t talk when they are born, they can share their true gender later, whether they are a boy, girl, both, neither, or changing. “Your gender is yours to discover and you know you best,” it affirms.
It then discusses pronouns, but without using the term, which feels appropriate for the target age group. Instead, it simply says that people can use certain words to talk about others, and it gives examples, like, “They love to eat pizza.” We can ask people to change those words if they don’t feel right for us, the book explains.
We should also choose the toys, clothes, and colors we like best, for they have no gender, the book advises, noting that we can’t tell a person’s gender from their clothes. “With so many ways to be, be you, your truest self,” it concludes.
While parts of this book echo other board books on pronouns and bodies, it is notable for the very diverse racial/ethnic identities, skin colors and patterns, and range of disabilities shown. (Other books also show some range; this one seems to have even more variety, particularly in terms of disabilities.) It is probably most similar to Being You: A First Conversation About Gender, which also covers both pronouns and bodies, and that I also like a lot. Your Truest Self feels a little simpler in tone and concepts (Being You also tackles gender stereotypes, for example)—but that’s not a judgment, just a guide to help you find what you’re looking for. Ultimately, you may wish to have both on your shelves as your kids grow.
