#Bookblogger

Jason Martinez’s My Mommy is a Boy (2013)

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My Mommy Is a Boy by [Martinez, Jason, Winchester, Karen]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 and confused the four-year-old I shared it with. He didn’t understand why Amaya kept referring to her parent as “mommy” and using she/her/hers pronouns, since he was a man.

It is a bit jarring.

Although the author notes on the back cover that he wrote the book for his daughter to “show her that I care about how she feels and to show her how much I love her” the confusion his daughter may have experienced, confusion he tried to convey, doesn’t translate well to helping other children understand the gender transition of a parent. Continue reading →

AMPLIFY: Alex Logan @ Almost, Almost

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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 queer literature and their blog is AMAZING. Please, take a look and support Alex’s important work by following their blog! Check it out here: Almost, Almost. You can follow Alex on Twitter, too! Check them out: @AAlexLogan

Please, take a minute to read about Alex and their blog! I’ll continue to AMPLIFY Alex and their blog throughout the week by sharing some of their favorite blog posts at Raise Them Righteous!

Bio: I’m Alex Logan (they/them). I’m an asexual and agender reader, writer, and librarian from New York State. I love books and languages and my other main interest is soccer, which I both watch and play (and, of course, read about!)

When did you start blogging?

I started blogging on Almost, Almost in August 2016, and started blogging primarily about bookish topics starting in June 2017.

Why did you start blogging?

I originally started blogging when I was coming to terms with and becoming more public about my nonbinary gender identity; I wanted a place where I could reflect and work things out with a supportive community at a time when I was still firmly closeted in real life, or just starting to come out to close friends. Then, in June 2017, I decided to combine my interests in LGBTQ issues with my passion for books and do a month of Reading for Pride posts, where I read exclusively LGBTQ books and shared what I was reading on the blog.

What specific content do you blog about? Why?

I currently blog mostly about LGBTQ books. I enjoyed the posts I did for my Reading for Pride month so much that I started doing a weekly Rainbow Reading roundup of the LGBTQ books I was reading. As a librarian, I’m always happy to do reader’s advisory and generally talk about books, and as a librarian I also have access to a lot of books, including under-the-radar books that I love to share with more people. At the time, I also was in the process of writing a book of my own – Royal Rescue, a young adult fantasy novel with an aro-ace protagonist that was published by NineStar Press in April 2019 – so I had books on the brain even more than usual. As a result, the blog shifted from mostly personal posts to mostly bookish ones – although I still do some posts about asexuality, medically transitioning as a nonbinary person, being out at work, and more.

Lois Gould’s X: A Fabulous Child’s Story

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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 sexed body. Instead, it suggests that gender is a learned behavior that restricts freedom. Continue reading →

Brian McNaught’s “What’s ‘gay’?” asked Mae (2018)

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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 is poorly formatted, and the illustrations do not reflect a consistent style. The short book is jarring and uncomfortable to read aloud. Although the message of acceptance is commendable, this short picture book isn’t a good vehicle. Continue reading →

Syrus Marcus Ware’s Love is in the Hair (2015)

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Love Is In The Hair

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 sleep the night before her sibling’s arrival. Her mom and dad are at the hospital and her two uncles are caring for her. Continue reading →

Robb Pearlman’s Pink is for Boys (2018)

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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 pair of two-page spreads. The first spread assures readers that x color is for girls and boys. The second spread reinforces the message. Continue reading →

Chandra Prasad’s Damselfly

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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 and on random television shows like The Simpsons. Golding’s take was inspired by The Coral Island: A Tale of the Pacific Ocean, an 1858 book by R. M. Ballantyne. In Ballantyne’s version the kids who crash on the island are moralistic cherubs with a penchant for converting cannibalistic barbarians (yes, it is racist). Golding wasn’t buying the moral simplicity proffered by Ballantyne and created a dystopian parody emphasizing human nature as well as the relationship between humans and nature. Continue reading →

Ruth Lehrer’s Being Fishkill

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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 spoilers but nothing major.

Being Fishkill, by Ruth Lehrer, is the story of Carmel Fishkill, a thirteen-year old girl growing-up in poverty. Carmel is mistreated by both family and society. She spends the first twelve-years of her life in a rundown home with a violent grandfather and incapable mother. When her grandfather dies and her mother disappears, Carmel reinvents herself in order to survive. Continue reading →

Courtney Carbone’s This Makes Me Sad

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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 lost dog.

The story is told in the first-person by a little boy who accidentally left the gate on his fence open, which allowed his dog, Kit, to escape. His parents try to reassure him that everything will be okay, but he is anxious and sad. Continue reading →