by Laura Kate Dale
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Even if the only thing a child understands from this book is that boys are sometimes girls, and girls are sometimes boys, for me that would be enough. Yet I think there is a whole lot more here that even a 5 or 6 year-old could understand. From what dysphoria is (because lets face it this is a new word for a lot of us), to the idea that you might feel a certain way and not be sure why (ie: hate or love dresses, etc.) all the way up to the idea of what it means to be transgender and how that manifests at a young age. And to be clear, it does manifest when children are very young.
Occasionally we might be surprised that a child or teen or even adult approaches the world and says they are trans. It absolutely happens. But in the majority of cases these kids know. They inherently have known since they were very young.
No different than at 11 years old I couldn't figure out why I could have Keanu Reeves on my wall as an 'idol' but my Mom acted weird about me wanting to put up Reba McEntire next to him as equally 'pretty'. I knew then I liked boys and girls; I just didn't have words for it (it was the 90s after all) and I wasn't really sure it was a 'thing' that could be true. However looking back, I knew. I've always probably known I was bisexual. It wasn't until I had a word for it and a definition that I could apply it to myself. That is why this book, and others like it, are SOOO important to get into the hands of little ones.
Let's give all children (and adults) the vocabulary to properly express themselves. Lets give them the safe space to do so, and the love and support every child deserves no matter what gender.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
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My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Even if the only thing a child understands from this book is that boys are sometimes girls, and girls are sometimes boys, for me that would be enough. Yet I think there is a whole lot more here that even a 5 or 6 year-old could understand. From what dysphoria is (because lets face it this is a new word for a lot of us), to the idea that you might feel a certain way and not be sure why (ie: hate or love dresses, etc.) all the way up to the idea of what it means to be transgender and how that manifests at a young age. And to be clear, it does manifest when children are very young.
Occasionally we might be surprised that a child or teen or even adult approaches the world and says they are trans. It absolutely happens. But in the majority of cases these kids know. They inherently have known since they were very young.
No different than at 11 years old I couldn't figure out why I could have Keanu Reeves on my wall as an 'idol' but my Mom acted weird about me wanting to put up Reba McEntire next to him as equally 'pretty'. I knew then I liked boys and girls; I just didn't have words for it (it was the 90s after all) and I wasn't really sure it was a 'thing' that could be true. However looking back, I knew. I've always probably known I was bisexual. It wasn't until I had a word for it and a definition that I could apply it to myself. That is why this book, and others like it, are SOOO important to get into the hands of little ones.
Let's give all children (and adults) the vocabulary to properly express themselves. Lets give them the safe space to do so, and the love and support every child deserves no matter what gender.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
Follow me on Goodreads
1 comment:
This sounds like a wonderful book for children and adults alike. As much as some of us like to curse being labeled, labels and vocabulary are power if they give you a sense of not being alone, and that's so important.
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