It Feels Good to Be Yourself

A Book About Gender Identity by Theresa Thorn Illustrated by Noah Grigni 4 stars Informative and encouraging. A sweet book presenting a variety of gender identities through its characters. It discusses being a girl, a boy, both, and neither. A great place to start having conversations with young children about gender identity and expression. Through…

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Heartstopper: Volume Four (Heartstopper #4) by Alice Oseman

5 stars Another fantastic volume in the Heartstopper series. This one is heavier than the previous volumes. While the others tend to be sweet with a hint of hardship, this one really focuses on the hardships of life and relationships. It deals with some serious topics including mental health, specifically eating disorders and references to…

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I Am Jazz

by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings Illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas 5 stars A sweet story detailing Jazz’s social transition as a girl including changing her name, using the girls’ bathroom, growing her hair long, and playing on the girls’ soccer team. Her story is told in simple language appropriate for young readers. It focuses on…

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Other Ever Afters by Melanie Gillman

New Queer Fairy Tales 5 stars Absolutely fantastic! I’ve read this book three times now and I still want to dive back in. I made my husband and sister-in-law read this, because I enjoyed it so much. Enter a world of fairy tales like you’ve never seen. Fantastic twists and wordplay. Loved the queer storylines…

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Primates

The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas by Jim Ottaviani, Illustrated by Maris Wicks 2 stars I really wanted to love this book. The illustrations are great, often working in details that aren’t touched on in the text. I love the focus on women in science and their extraordinary passion. However,…

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She Sang for India: How M.S. Subbulakshmi Used Her Voice for Change

by Suma Subramaniam, Illustrated by Shreya Gupta 5 stars A stunning picture book following the life of M.S. Subbulakshmi. Subbulakshmi loves to sing and wants to share her magnificent voice with others, but girls are barred from singing at public performances in India. That doesn’t stop her. With the support of her mother, she keeps…

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Malala’s Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai, Illustrated by Kerascoët

5 stars A powerful and inspiring picture book recounting Malala Yousafzai’s activism for education for all. The illustrations perfectly match the tone of the author’s words. They show the hardships in the environment but also the beauty of change and the power of people coming together. The story itself gives some of the basic details…

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Heartstopper: Volume 3 (Heartstopper #3) by Alice Oseman

4 stars Another fantastic volume featuring Charlie and Nick. I really enjoyed getting to see more of the side characters in this one. Of course, Darcy and Tara are adorable as always, and it was exciting to see Elle and Tao finally face their feelings. We also see a little more of Aled. Hoping to…

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