Gender Identity for Kids: A Book About Finding Yourself, Understanding Others, and Respecting Everybody!

by Andy Passchier

Overview

Help kids make sense of who they are and how they feel with this illustrated guide to understanding and answering questions about gender. 

What is gender and what does it mean to you? What are ways people express their gender? What if you don’t feel like the gender everyone says you are? This new resource is here to help kids make sense of who they are and how they feel.
 
As you grow up, you receive lots of messages about gender. Most kids start to define their own gender identity as early as age four! But what if the messages you receive don’t seem to describe you? What if the things you like don’t match who people say you are? What if you don’t even know what gender you are?
 
From the illustrator behind What Are Your Words? and other books on gender and personal identity, comes a resource for all kids, of any gender. This fun, heavily illustrated chapter book explains the basics of gender identity—what it is, what it means, and how to support yourself and others no matter who you are.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316411226
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	06/06/2023
Pages:	96
Sales rank:	1,066,063
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Andy Passchier (they/them) is a trans nonbinary illustrator originally from the Netherlands and currently based in the USA. In their work, they focus on diversity, inclusivity, and advocacy for LGBTQIA+ topics. They have illustrated several children's books regarding love, family, gender identity, and pronouns, with Gender Identity for Kids being the first book they both wrote and illustrated. Outside of illustrating, they enjoy hanging with their cats, playing D&D, video games, Halloween, and shows about aliens.

Editorial Reviews

05/15/2023

Seeking to educate young readers about gender, Passchier’s digestible narrative in five chapters covers sex vs. gender, identity, the gender binary, expression and exploration, and challenges and support. Throughout, expository text centers on straightforward definitions and examples (“This is called your assigned sex at birth”), while variously diverse, doodle-like human characters create a through line for deeper understanding. Affirming sentences support self-care (“It’s okay to take a break at any point”) and reassure that uncomfortable feelings are alright and even expected (A “label can feel restrictive.... It’s OK not to have one!”). Each chapter ends with “Now We Know” and “Questions” sections. At every turn of this gentle read, readers are encouraged to think about how they relate to their body and what gender means to them, regardless of others view them. Resources conclude. Ages 7–10. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"An overwhelmingly helpful and inclusive book that will benefit kids and grown-ups alike."—School Library Journal

"At every turn of this gentle read, readers are encouraged to think about how they relate to their body and what gender means to them, regardless of others view them."—Publisher's Weekly

"A thoughtful, thorough, and inclusive resource."—Kirkus Reviews

"This is a handy book to have around when a child (or an adult, for that matter) starts asking questions about sexual identity or gender roles. Definitions and descriptions are provided in straightforward, easy-to-understand language, and concepts are supported by cheerful cartoon characters, comparison charts, checklists, and other helpful graphics."—Booklist

From the Publisher

2023-04-24
This straightforward guide invites readers to explore all things gender.

Doodle-style illustrations, lots of white space, and casual, direct text set an accessible and supportive tone right from the opening pages. A cast of characters who are diverse in terms of race, gender, and ability are introduced with their names and pronouns, spotlighting different ways of existing and expressing oneself. Characters’ identities are deepened in subsequent chapters alongside stylized, speech bubble–filled art. The kids explore (sometimes comedically, as in a joke comparing pizza and cinnamon rolls to gender roles) concepts and ideas presented, including sex versus gender, the gender binary, and more. A variety of typefaces and text colors help to clarify the information-packed pages; inset boxes highlight definitions; and kid-friendly metaphors engage and inform: “Having a gender assigned to you at birth, along with your sex, is a little bit like having your favorite color picked for you.” Topics like labels, pronouns, coming out, and anti-trans attitudes are confronted head-on, carefully and with age-appropriate nuance. Self-care suggestions and affirmations abound, and readers are encouraged to focus on their wants and needs and to take a break from the book at any time. At the end of each chapter, main ideas are revisited, followed by a list of questions that prompt deeper personal reflection.

A thoughtful, thorough, and inclusive resource. (author’s note, recommended resources) (Nonfiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews