Nonbinary genders shine in all their splendor.
A window into an array of genders that exist outside the Western binary.
“When you look at me, which gender do you see?” asks Alawa, the narrator of Corrigan’s latest book on gender. Dressed in traditional regalia, the Indigenous (Nêhiyaw) narrator proudly declares that they are Moosomin First Nation and Two Spirit, “an umbrella term used to describe a variety of gender identities specific to Indigenous tribes across North America.” Alawa introduces readers to their friends from all over the world, including Alohilani, a Native Hawai’ian māhū person; Nayeli, an Oaxacan muxe person; Chideziri, a “female husband” from Nigeria; and Kohei, an X-gender person from Japan. Each friend shares a brief description of their gender and its ethnic context; their joy and cultural pride are warmly conveyed by Butterfly’s cartoon-inspired art. The narrative concludes with Alawa and their friends saying goodbye in their respective languages. The profiles offer only a sliver of information about each gender, and the book would have benefited from bibliographic references. Still, the richness of nonbinary genders across the globe will amaze young readers, and the volume’s limited scope is reasonable, given that this is an introductory picture book. Readers will learn much about the diverse ways that people can understand and express gender. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nonbinary genders shine in all their splendor. (author’s note, cultural gender identities activity, map) (Informational picture book. 6-12)Pub Date: Sept. 21, 2023
ISBN: 9781839977626
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
A reasonably solid grounding in constitutional rights, their flexibility, lacunae, and hard-won corrections, despite a few...
Shamir offers an investigation of the foundations of freedoms in the United States via its founding documents, as well as movements and individuals who had great impacts on shaping and reshaping those institutions.
The opening pages of this picture book get off to a wobbly start with comments such as “You know that feeling you get…when you see a wide open field that you can run through without worrying about traffic or cars? That’s freedom.” But as the book progresses, Shamir slowly steadies the craft toward that wide-open field of freedom. She notes the many obvious-to-us-now exclusivities that the founding political documents embodied—that the entitled, white, male authors did not extend freedom to enslaved African-Americans, Native Americans, and women—and encourages readers to learn to exercise vigilance and foresight. The gradual inclusion of these left-behind people paints a modestly rosy picture of their circumstances today, and the text seems to give up on explaining how Native Americans continue to be left behind. Still, a vital part of what makes freedom daunting is its constant motion, and that is ably expressed. Numerous boxed tidbits give substance to the bigger political picture. Who were the abolitionists and the suffragists, what were the Montgomery bus boycott and the “Uprising of 20,000”? Faulkner’s artwork conveys settings and emotions quite well, and his drawing of Ruby Bridges is about as darling as it gets. A helpful timeline and bibliography appear as endnotes.
A reasonably solid grounding in constitutional rights, their flexibility, lacunae, and hard-won corrections, despite a few misfires. (Informational picture book. 6-10)Pub Date: May 2, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-399-54728-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
A good if limited starting guide.
Author Leavitt presents all the components of doing research into family history with easy-to-follow directions for a successful project.
The volume begins with clear definitions about genealogy and why it is important to study. It moves on to give practical tips on getting started and how to map a family tree. It introduces young readers to the important documents that can assist in gathering family facts and describes the information they provide. It gives solid directions for setting up interviews with family members and how to reach out to those who are far away. This is followed up with strategies for using online resources, including warnings on how to stay safe on social media. The work of tracing ancestors from their countries of origin can be daunting, but Leavitt gives some help in this area as well and explores the role geography can play in family stories. There is good advice for collecting oral histories, and the chapter on exploring “The Way They Were” will appeal to many, as will the concluding chapters on family reunions and keeping in touch. All of this is presented in an encouraging, upbeat tone. Sidebars, charts, illustrations, and photographs add to the accessibility. The major drawback is that it assumes a known biological lineage with heterosexual parentage; there is no mention of the unique issues adopted children and nontraditional families might have in trying to put some of the instructions into practice. A short section addresses the challenges that face African-American descendants of enslaved people.
A good if limited starting guide. (resources, index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4549-2320-6
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2017
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