Written by Jason Martinez and illustrated by Karen Winchester the self-published My Mommy is a Boy (2013) is a short picture book told from the point-of-view of a little girl named Amaya whose parent is transitioning. The amateurish illustrations and use of the “she” pronoun throughout detract from the story […]
My name is Jennifer Miller and I blog about children’s books at Raise Them Righteous. I recently started a new project on my blog – AMPLIFY – to boost blogs and bloggers that I love and am excited to support. Today I’m featuring Alex Logan’s blog Almost, Almost. Alex reviews […]
Written by Lois Gould and first published by Ms. in 1972, X: A Fabulous Child’s Story, was republished in 1978 by Daughters Publishing Company with illustrations by Jacqueline Chwast. The short story that became a picture book challenges the idea that gender is a natural expression clearly connected to the […]
The very odd “What’s ‘gay’?” asked Mae (2018) written by Brian McNaught and illustrated by Dave Woodford, tracks a conversation two children have with a variety of birds about the meaning of the word ‘gay.’ Beyond the awkward set-up—Mae asks her cousin Ray what ‘gay’ means and birds respond—the text […]
Love is in the Hair, published in 2015 by Flamingo Rampant, is written and illustrated by Syrus Marcus Ware. The sweet story, perfect for bedtime, focuses on a little girl, Carter, with light brown skin and a big smile. Carter is about to become a sister, and is unable to […]
Pink is for Boys (2018), written by Robb Pearlman and illustrated by Eda Kaban works to disrupt the idea that pink is for girls and blue is for boys. It does this through simple prose and bright, fun illustrations. Several colors, including pink, green, blue, and purple, are explored over […]
A few kids. A crash landing. An island that may or may not be inhabited (or possessed). It’s the stuff of a story we don’t seem able to stop telling. William Golding’s 1954 version, Lord of the Flies, lives on in our collective imagination, resurfacing in songs by Iron Maiden […]
Ruth Lehrer’s gritty realism is reminiscent of Dorothy Allison, as is her exploration of poverty, abuse, neglect, miraculously strong girls, and the failure and promise of family. But, Lehrer’s pace and unrelentingly complicated descriptions of young teen subjectivity set Bring Fishkill firmly within the field of YA literature. *A few […]
This Makes Me Sad, written by Courtney Carbone and illustrated by Hilli Kushnir, is one of several books in Rodale Kids’ Dealing with Feelings series. This easy reader does a great job teaching emotional literacy through simple sentences that build an accessible and engaging story about a boy and his […]
