Gender Picture Books

July 23, 2012
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Exploring Gender Stereotypes and Gender Independence with Primary Children
Boys can break gender stereotypes!
Title
Bedford, David. It’s a
George Thing!. U.K.:
Egmont, 2008.
Bansch, Helga. Odd Bird
Out. U.K.: Gecko Press,
2008.
Blackwood, Mary. Derek,
The Knitting Dinosaur.
Carolrhoda Books, 1990.
Grade-Grade 2
out of print
Bradley, Kimberly. Ballerino
Nate. New York: Dial, 2006.
Grade-Grade 2
Bryan, Jennifer Different
Dragon, The. USA: Two
Lives Publishing, 2006.
Grade-Grade 2
Image
Synopsis
George the zebra spends most of the
time with his friends Peachy the gorilla
and Moon the lion. Sometimes they do
things Peachy likes, and sometimes they
do things Moon likes, like weight lifting or
stacking heavy rocks. When George
discovers that “his thing” is to dance,
he’s not sure how his friends will
respond. They declare it “A George
Thing” and dance along.
Robert is a crow who loves bright colours
and beautiful singing. The other crows
tell him that crows only wear black and
caw. Robert wears colourful dresses and
sings anyway. He’s at first ostracised
from the crow community, and then
returns triumphant and admired.
Derek is the only dinosaur who would
rather knit than be ferocious. When the
climate grows colder and his dinosaur
brothers shiver and complain, Derek
comes to the rescue with woolly clothes
for all. There is room for difference, and
Derek's unreptilian skills turn out to be an
asset.
Nate decides he wants to dance after
attending a recital. Although his parents
disagree, his brother’s words telling him
that boys can’t be ballerinas, worry Nate.
While he loves his ballet class, he
wonders why he is the only boy. His
troubles disappear when he attends a
professional performance and meets one
of the male dancers.
A boy with two moms befriends dragon
who is also different and convinces him
that there are lots of ways to be a dragon
besides being fierce.
July 23, 2012
Cheng, Andrea. When Bees
Fly Home.
Preschool- grade 4
dePaola, Tomie. Oliver
Button Is a Sissy. San
Diego: Harcourt Brace &
Company: 1999.
Grade-Grade 2
Fierstein, Harvey. Sissy
Duckling, The New York:
Simon & Schuster
Children's Publishing, 2002.
Grade-Grade 3
Fox, Mem. Tough Boris.
Australia: Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt, 2001.
Grade-Grade 2
Howe, James. Pinky and
Rex. U.K.: Simon Spotlight,
1990.
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Jonathan is a poor bee keeper and bad
at heavy labour. When a drought comes
and money is scarce, it becomes all the
more important for everyone in the family
to contribute. Jonathan discovers his
artistic talents can help support his
family.
Oliver knows he is different, but does the
things he enjoys, like dancing. Hate
graffiti at his school, but after a public
talent competition, the graffiti is altered
from “Oliver Button is a Sissy” to “Oliver
Button is a star” and Oliver feels proud.
DePaola identifies this story as being his
own experience of childhood.
Elmer tries to do typical boy duck
activities but just doesn’t fit in. Elmer is
rejected and harassed by the other
ducks, including his father. Elmer runs
away but his ingenuity, bravery and
loyalty earn him the respect and
admiration of the rest of the community.
Tough Boris is a pirate, and like all
pirates is fierce, and tough and mean,
but when his parrot dies, he cries and
cries. This is a book that celebrates the
men can be tough, and strong and
tender all at the same time.
Pinky is a boy who loves pink, and Rex
is a girl who loves Tyrannosaurus Rex.
They are best friends and loving doing
things together.
This book could also appear in the “girls
can break stereotypes” category.
Newman, Leslea. The Boy
Who Cried Fabulous. New
York: Tricycle Press, 2007.
Kindergarten-Grade 3
A rhyming tale endorsing exuberance,
this book offers a refreshing, optimistic
message about appreciating all manner
of ever day things.
July 23, 2012
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Rickards, Lynne, Ill. and
Margaret Chamberlain.
Pink! 2009.
j wallace
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Tired of rejection, Patrick the pink
penguin tries unsuccessfully to live with
the flamingos before he returns home to
acceptance. Includes question whether
boys can wear pink.
Grade-Grade 2
Zolotow, Charlotte.
William’s Doll. 1972.
William wants a doll but is told that
makes him a creep and a sissy. His Dad
buys him a basketball and a train set, but
he still wants the doll. Finally his
grandma buys him a doll which he can
feed, care for and love.
Girls can break gender stereotypes!
Title
Bunnell, Jacinta,
Girls Are Not Chicks
Coloring Book, Berkley: Soft
Skull Press, 2009.
Girls Will Be Boys Will Be
Girls: A Coloring Book,
Oakland: PM Press, 2004.
Sometimes the Spoon Runs
Away with Another Spoon
Coloring Book. Oakland:
PM Press, 2010.
Grade-Grade 2
Cole, Babette. Princess
Smartypants.
Grade-Grade 3
Image
Synopsis
Three colourings book for feminists
where the girls are thinkers, creators,
fighters, and healers. Boys and girls
work together to bake and build drumsets, massive beasts enjoy dainty, pretty
jewellery and princesses build rocket
ships. These colouring books celebrate
those who do not fit into disempowering
gender categorizations, from sensitive
boys to tough girls.
Be aware that there is no narrative to
these books although the pictures would
be good for sparking discussion. Adults
will enjoy the author’s wit.
Princess Smartypants doesn't want to
get married; she'd rather live with her
pets. Commanded by her parents to
marry, the princess sets impossible tasks
for her suitors, all of whom fail miserably,
until Prince Swashbuckle. He succeeds,
and when the princess kisses him he
turns into a toad. Princess Smartypants
is able to live with her pets after all!
Princess Smartypants’ adventures
continue in Long Live Princess
Smartypants (U.K. title)/Princess
Smartypants Rules (U.K.) where she
decides to have a baby on her own, and
Princess Smartypants Breaks the Rules
where she goes away to school.
July 23, 2012
Funke, Cornelia. Pirate Girl
Kindergarten-grade 2
Funke, Cornelia. The
Princess Knight. Somerset
UK: The Chicken House,
2004.
Preschool-Grade 2
Funke, Cornelia. Princess
Pigsty. U.K. The Chicken
House, 2007.
Kindergarten-Grade 2
Homan, Dianne. In
Christina’s Toolbox. Lollipop
Power, 1981.
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Afloat in a dinghy with a flowered sail
and clad in sensible shorts and a T-shirt,
Molly is snatched and held for ransom by
Captain Firebeard, an infamous
buccaneer who causes "the knees of
honest seafaring folk [to] shake like jelly."
Molly’s not afraid – her mom is
Barbarous Bertha, a fierce pirate queen
and well familiar with the pirate life. Molly
sends messages to her mom who comes
to her rescue.
King Wilfred teaches Violetta how to be a
knight along with her brothers, but when
she comes of age, he holds a
tournament and announces that the
winner can marry her. Violetta secretly
enters the contest, and by winning it wins
her own independence.
Sick of her pampered existence,
Princess Isabella tosses aside her tiara,
declaring, "I want to get dirty!" The
outraged king prescribes tours of duty in
the kitchens and pigsty, but Isabella
merely revels in the good, honest work
and good, honest mess. She only agrees
to come home when the king says she
can be who she is, and dress how she
wants, but he misses her and would she
please come home.
Christina loves to fix and build things –
and she can safely use all the tools in
here tool box – something she has
learned from her mum.
Kindergarten-Grade 2
Hoffman, Mary Frances.
Amazing Grace. Lincoln
Paperbacks, 1991.
Kindergarten-Grade 2
When her teacher announces that the
class will put on Peter Pan, Grace wants
the lead role. A classmate tells her that
she can’t, because she is a girl and
because she is black. Saddened, she
tells her family this and with their love,
support and encouragement she goes on
to audition and win the role.
July 23, 2012
Juxtapose Consulting
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Jimenez, Karleen Pendleton
Are You a Boy or a Girl?.
Toronto: Green Dragon
Press, 2000.
When Kathleen was a girl other children
would ask her “are you a boy or a girl?”.
In this book she uses pictures from her
childhood, and her mother’s words of
acceptance to bring home the message
that girls can like boy things, and boys
can like girl things, and that being who
you are is what matters.
Johnson , Angela. Just Like
Josh Gibson, Simon &
Schuster, 2004.
A tribute to Negro Leagues Josh Gibson
and a book about a girl playing ball well
before A League of Their Own! The
narrator tells the story of her
Grandmama – how her father brought a
baseball bat to the hospital, and as she
grew, taught her to play, until she was
better than all the boys. There were no
girls teams at the time, so she practiced
with a local boys’ team and watched
games from the sidelines. One day,
when her cousin was injured, she steps
into a game and earns the cheers of the
crowd.
preschool – grade 3
Kroll, Virginia, A Carp for
Kimiko. Massachusetts:
Charlesbridge Publishing,
1993.
Kindergarten-Grade 4
On Children’s Day, boys across Japan
are honoured with fish kites – and
Kamiko wants want to. She points out to
her parents that she shared the Doll’s
Festival with her brother, even thought
he’s a boy and that if it is Children’s day
and no longer Boy’s Day she should also
get a carp. Her parents find a way to
honour her without breaking the gender
rules of the holiday.
Lee, Jeanne M. The Song
of Mu Lan" U.S.A.: Front
Street, 1995.
Follows the traditional story of Mu Lan,
who seeks to become a warrior and
defend others.
Mackall, Dandi Daley. A Girl
Named Dan. U.S.A.:
Sleeping Bear Press, 2011.
When the Kansas City A’s announces a
contest where the winner will become
their new bat boy Dan is determined to
enter and win, even if it says it is “for
boys only”. Dan does enter, and wins,
although when the officials arrive to give
her her prize they discover she is a girl
and decide she can not be the bat boy.
Dan finds her own solution that allows
her to win with her friends.
Grades 2-4
July 23, 2012
Juxtapose Consulting
www.juxtaposeconsulting.com
j wallace
[email protected]
McCully, Emily Arnold.
Beautiful Warrior: The
Legend of the Nun’s Kung
Fu. New York: Arthur A.
Levine Books, 1998.
A book about how focus, discipline and
qi are stronger than muscles. It follows
Beautiful Warrior through her childhood,
where her father pushes her to study
kung fu, the destruction of the Chinese
Empire, her moving to the Shoalin
Monastery and her passing her
teachings on to the next generation.
Martin, Bill Jr White
Dynamite and Curly Kidd.
U.S.A.: Henry Holt, 1989.
White Dynamite is a rodeo rider, and we
follow him and his kid, Curly Kidd on
rodeo day as they prep for the ride and
White Dynamite bucks his way into
winning. Curly Kidd is not identified as
either a boy or a girl through most of the
book, but at the end is revealed to be a
girl – who dreams of growing up to be a
rodeo champion like her dad.
Sarah Edmonds becomes Frank
Thompson to serve her country and
takes on increasingly dangerous roles
during the U.S. civil war. Based on a
historical person.
Kindergarten-Grade 4
Moss, Marissa. Nurse,
Soldier Spy: The Story of
Sarah Edmonds, a Civil War
Hero. New York: Harry N.
Abrams, 2011.
Newman, Leslea. A Fire
Engine for Ruthie. Clarion
Books, 2004.
Grade-Grade 2
Puttock, Simon. Earth to
Stella
Grade-Grade 2
Roth, Susan. Hard Hat
Area. New York:
Bloomsbury USA Children's
Books, 2004.
Grade-Grade 2
Ruthie loves to visit Nana, but they don’t
always like to play with the same things.
Nana loves dolls and dress-up, while
Ruthie likes fire engines, motorcycles
and trains. Nana’s neighbour Brian gets
to play with them, so why not Ruthie?
Stella celebrates her love of space and
her imagination as her Dad helps her get
ready for bed. A tender book about a dad
parenting his daughter, and a daughter
who dreams of becoming an astronaut.
Based on a real person this book shares
a day-in-the-life-of Kristen, an apprentice
ironworker. Tools are identified and
explained and the value of teamwork is
celebrated.
July 23, 2012
Vernick, Audrey. She Loved
Baseball: The Effa Manley
Story. U.S.A.: Collins, 2010.
Kindergarten-Grade 4
Wyeth, Sharon Dennis,
Tomboy. U.S.A.: Random
House Books for Young
Readers, 1998.
kindergarten – grade 3
out of print
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A true story. Effa Manley challenged
racism as a young person, and
organized community boycotts of stores
that would sell to black people but not
hire them. As an adult she became an
owner of the Newark Eagles, a Negro
League team and succeeded as a
woman in business. She fought for
recognition of The Negro League, both
from the major leagues, and from the
Baseball Hall of Fame. She is the only
woman in The Baseball Hall of Fame.
Because she has very short hair,
students at her new school think Georgia
is a boy. She challenges the bullies,
makes friends and with the support of
her mother and the teacher insists that
she is her "own kind of girl."
July 23, 2012
Juxtapose Consulting
www.juxtaposeconsulting.com
j wallace
[email protected]
Books where children can project their own understandings of gender
Title
Gilori, Debbi. No Matter
What. San Diego: Harcourt
Brace & Company, 1999.
Image
Preschool – Grade 2
Maclear, Kyo. Spork.
Toronto: Kids Can Press,
Ltd. 2010.
Synopsis
This is a book about love between a
caregiver and child. Neither the caregiver
or child are gendered, allowing children
to project their own families onto this
tender story.
Spork has a fork and a spoon for
parents, and is well, a bit of both. Cutlery
customs however a strict and neither the
forks nor the spoons accept spork. Spork
tries to act more spoonish, and more
forkish, but ultimately only finds his place
at the table by being himself: a little of
one thing, a little of another, and just
right. This book does not specifically talk
about gender, but lets children think
about all the ways they are a little of one
thing, and a little of another and just
right.
With rainbow colours, simple drawings
and reassuring this book affirms that it is
okay to be different in lots of different
ways, from real life examples to funny
ones.
Grades 1-4
Parr, Todd. It’s Okay to be
Different. U.S.A.: Little,
Brown Books for Young
Readers, 2001.
Preschool – Grade 2
Gender Independent Children’s Books!
Title
Bergman, Bear. Backwards
Day. Toronto: Flamingo
Rampant, 2012.
Image
Synopsis
On the planet Tenalp, one day each year
everything is backwards. Rivers run uphill, they
have dinner for breakfast, and breakfast for
dinner, and men become women and women
become men. This is the story of Andy, who one
year does not change on Backwards Day, but
instead the day after, and then to his delight,
stays that way.
July 23, 2012
Juxtapose Consulting
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Bergman, Bear. Tulip the
Birthday Wish Fairy.
Toronto: Flamingo
Rampant, 2012.
Ever wondered what happens to wishes? This
book offers us an inside view to the fairies who
answer wishes and how they help people find
the inner strength and resources to answer their
own wishes. Tulip becomes the “gender wish
fairy” who’s role is to work with families of
children who are gender independent/trans. It’s
tender and whimsical.
Carr, Jennifer. Be Who You
Are. USA: AuthorHouse,
2010.
Nick has always know he is a girl inside. His
parents support him, but other people are
discouraging. Through this book he journeys
towards becoming a girl. Written by the real-life
Nick’s mum.
grades 3-6
My favourite of the children’s transition stories.
Ewert, Marcus 10,000
Dresses. New York: Seven
Stories Press, 2008.
Bailey’s parents think she is a boy, but dreams
of being a girl and wearing beautiful dresses.
Her creativity in dress design help her find a
friend and acceptance after rejection.
PreSchool-Grade 2
Gonzalez, Maya Christina.
Gender Now Coloring Book.
TN U.S.A.: Reflection Press
2010.
ages 3 and up.
Kay, Verla. Rough, Tough
Charley. New York: Tricycle
Press, 2007.
Preschool-Grade 2
Fun, creative and action oriented, this is a
colouring book that celebrates a diversity of
bodies, dressed and undressed. Activities
include things like an image of a closet of
clothes (with space for more) and an instruction
to colour what you would like to wear.
There are two editions of this book, one that
shows naked bodies (to show physical diversity
in a non-sexual way) and a schools edition
where all the children are dressed.
The exciting true story of Charley Parkhurst, an
orphan living in California in the mid-1800s who
became a famous stagecoach driver, joined the
Odd Fellow's Club, voted in Presidential
elections and was revealed, after death, to have
been born female.
July 23, 2012
Kilodavis, Cheryl. My
Princess Boy. New York:
Aladdin 2010.
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A mom talks about her experience of raising a
boy who likes being a princess. In a didactic and
heavy handed way, she ends by telling readers
“my princess boy is really our princess boy” and
we all need to help make the world safe for him.
Grade-Grade 2
This book is very affirming for princess boys, but
other children do not seem to find it interesting.
Mack, Bruce. Jesse’s
Dream Skirt. U.S.A.:
Lollipop Power Inc. 1979
Out-of print
Jesse dreams of having a beautiful skirt that will
whirl, twirl, flow and grow. His mom helps him
make one from pieces of fabric in her closet.
When he wears it to school, other children tease
him, but the teacher leads the children in a
conversation about clothes and gender,
encouraging acceptance and self expression.
After the talk, all the children get to experiment
with long flowing pieces of fabric.
Martinez, Jason, My
Mommy is a Boy. USA: Self
Published, 2010
A short story of a little girl who is explaining to
the reader why her female-to-male
transgendered mommy looks like a boy. She
explains the gender transition process in simple
terms. The message she portrays is no matter
what her mommy looks like on the outside or
how people portray her family, her mommy
loves her unconditionally.
Ogburn, Jacqueline K. A
Cowboy Named Ernestine
Dial, 2001.
Ernestine O'Reilly, a feisty Irish woman is sent
to Texas as a mail-order-bride. When she
arrives, she discovers her intended wanted a
cook and cleaner and servant, and she escapes
to the desert and where she becomes "Ernest
T.," a cattle herder. She has great and wild
cowboy adventures and eventually cleans up
and marries a cowboy partner.
Grade-Grade 2
Stiller, Laurie. Princess
Max. Milsons Point/AU :
Random House Australia,
2002.
Preschool – Grade 4
Out-of print
“Max has discovered how much fun he can
have when he wears his mother's dresses and
"swaltzes' around the house like a fairytale
princess. But his favourite cousin Marty comes
over and calls him a weirdo for dressing up like
that. Poor Max is heartbroken and runs into his
room in tears. His Mum comes in and cheers
him up by putting his Dad's underpants on her
head like a hat. Max still isn't sure that he ought
to keep swaltzing until his clever Mum comes up
with an idea.” (from the author’s site”
July 23, 2012
Juxtapose Consulting
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j wallace
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Tetro, Marc. A Barbecue for
Charlotte. Canada:
McArthur & Company,
January 2005.
Charlotte and Tiffany are very different siblings.
Charlotte likes rugged things and sports, and
Tiffany likes pink, bows and frills. Charlotte
wants to grow antlers like the young bucks, and
adapts a barbecue to the task. What follows is
rejection, acceptance, heroics and welcome.
The book also gets points for family diversity as
a mother and grandmother are raising the
youngsters together.
U'Ren, Andrea Pugdog.
New York: Farrar, Straus &
Giroux, 2001.
Mike believes his Pugdog is a boy until the vet
tells him Pugdog is a girl. Mike then treats
Pugdog in more feminine ways, until he
discovers that he knows far less about sex and
gender than he assumed.
Grade-Grade 2
Out-of-print
Van Der Beek, Deborah.
Melinda and the Class
Photograph
Melinda’s mum wants her to wear a dress for
her class photo. Melinda resists the dress,
female pronouns and keeping clean.
Out-of print
Wong, Dr. Wallace. When
Kathy is Keith. Canada:
Xlibris Corporation, 2011.
Kathy struggles with being a girl and feels
uncomfortable in a feminine roll. She tells her
parents, who seek help and counselling and
eventual transitions to being Keith. Keith is
happy and basks in the unconditional love of his
parents.
Wurst, Thomas. Pearl’s
Christmas Present. U.S.A.:
Community Press, 2007.
Not a book for children, but possibly a
therapeutic book for adults. In this bleak book,
the family grimly faces Christmas. Pearl wants
desperately to be a girl, but her attempts at
dressing and make-up get her in trouble with the
family. Her present at Christmas is a toy truck,
which she gives away, although she keeps the
ribbon from it which she considers a gift.
Out-of print
Why am I including out-of-print books?
July 23, 2012
Juxtapose Consulting
www.juxtaposeconsulting.com
j wallace
[email protected]
1. There is not a large cannon of picture books that support and encourage gender independent/gender
variant children – the out of print books I have included are truly excellent ones that I or other people highly
recommend.
2. These books may still be in circulation – it’s worth checking your school or community library for them.
3. Often they are still available for sale – I’ve included a couple of on-line locations that sell out of print books.
4. So more people can put pressure on the publishers to bring them back!
Places to buy out-of-print books
Abe Books: www.abebooks.com
Powell’s Books: www.powells.com