ABC-Deconstructing Gender

by Ashley Molesso, Chess Needham

Overview

Be affectionate, beautiful, courageous, and more in this gender-bending ABC book.

Daryl is so affectionate. Alex is gentle with the family cat. Sage and Kaylin are super strong. And Ira yearns to do ballet like their older brother. Demystify gender stereotypes while learning your ABCs in this bright, celebratory debut picture book by stationery company Ash + Chess, who bring not only their quirky artistic flavor but also their personal perspectives as a queer couple to this empowering book for younger kids. This hardcover picture book is rendered in bright, bold colors and patterns and uses neon pink hues throughout. As a bonus, remove the book's jacket to reveal a cool ABC poster on the opposite side that can be displayed at home, in schools, at libraries, or anywhere!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780762481408
Publisher:	Running Press Book Publishers
Publication date:	05/02/2023
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	510,996
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Ash + Chess is a cute stationery company run by queer and trans couple Ashley Molesso (she/her) and Chess Needham (he/him). They create greeting cards and art prints that are bold, retro color palettes and they often use their artwork to make a political statement and to uplift the queer community. Since making their debut in 2017 at the National Stationery Show, they now sell their products in more than 900 retailers throughout the world. They are the author of The Gay Agenda, My Queer Year, and Queer Tarot. This is their first children’s book.
 

Editorial Reviews

05/15/2023

Molesso and Needham, the creators behind stationery company Ash + Chess, employ bold colors and psychedelic patterns for an abecedarian that describes a cast portrayed with varying abilities and skin tones. Each page associates a letter of the Latin alphabet with a descriptor, and many establish the characters’ pronouns. Q, for example, represents “queen”: “Ari likes to dress up like a queen with his sibling.” A page later, R stands for “roughly”: “Yuriko doesn’t mind playing roughly with her dog.” While some pages represent activities and reactions that stretch across traditional gender roles, others (“energetic” and “focused,” for example) feel solidly neutral, exemplifying how binary gender roles are stuck in the past. Good-vibes graphics that incorporate the colors of the Pride and trans flags show affectionate figures interacting, emphasizing the empowering message of the book’s dedication: “To everyone out there who has found the courage to be themselves and to those who have yet to.” Ages 4–8. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"This vibrantly illustrated abecedary from the queer-and-trans-couple owners of stationery company Ash + Chess reminds readers of all ages that a gender identity is whatever a person wants theirs to be…A retro, 1970s color palette presents a distinct, colorful, unapologetically in-your-face world, populated with people of every shape, color, and size. To counter stereotypes, masculine characters are labeled as 'nurturing' and 'affectionate,' feminine ones as 'tough' and 'protective,' and nonbinary or gender-fluid ones as 'gentle' and 'joyous.' It's often challenging to discern which character is being referenced in a given illustration—an intentional and effective choice meant to broaden perspectives. The wide expanse of emotions, activities, settings, and walks of life will spark readers' imaginations while also encouraging them to think outside the box and the binaries when it comes to gender. A fun and incredibly inclusive primer that will open the door for important conversations with kids about identity and who they want to be in their daily lives.”—Booklist

"Good-vibes graphics that incorporate the colors of the Pride and trans flags show affectionate figures interacting, emphasizing the empowering message of the book’s dedication: 'To everyone out there who has found the courage to be themselves and to those who have yet to.'”—Publishers Weekly

“An ABC book that challenges gender norms… offers a much-needed takeaway.”—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2023-03-29
An ABC book that challenges gender norms.

Each page depicts a child who embodies a different characteristic, usually one not stereotypically associated with their gender: For B: “Mohammad likes to do makeup and get beautiful with his sister.” For M: “Ximena is mighty and strong. She lifted her friend’s bike when it got stuck in the mud!” The message that kids can and should reject rigid gender roles is important, but the book misses the mark. The words chosen to represent each letter include adjectives, verbs, adverbs, and nouns, and their placement within the text is random—sometimes toward the end of a sentence, other times in the middle—which makes the alphabet-book connection feel tenuous. Eye-catching, at times visually overwhelming, illustrations feature a strongly ’70s-inspired psychedelic aesthetic and palette, but several images are perplexing. On one page, a child rides a motor scooter instead of a kick scooter—without a helmet. On another, a child using a wheelchair is depicted teetering dangerously on a winner’s podium that is not wheelchair accessible. Wordy, at times clunky, and somewhat didactic, the text likely won’t engage readers, though it does offer a good starting point to discussions of gender. The characters are diverse in terms of gender identity and expression (some use they/them pronouns), ability, and race. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Offers a much-needed takeaway—if kids can make it through to the end. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews