Except When They Don't
by Laura Gehl (Author) Joshua Heinsz (Illustrator)
This rhyming picture book encourages children to celebrate their individuality and lets them know that it's okay to play with whatever toys they want to!
Girls perform to fairy songs.
Boys play football all day long.
Boys yell, "Boo!" and run away.
Girls like kittens and ballet.
Except when they don't.
Children are often told by many different people about what toys they're supposed to play with, what interests they should have, and who they should be simply because of their gender. This stereotype-breaking book invites children to examine what they're told "boy" and "girl" activities are and encourages them to play with whatever they want to and to be exactly who they are!
This book is published in partnership with GLAAD to accelerate LGBTQ inclusivity and acceptance.
"This book encourages kids to practice self-acceptance and embrace all kinds of play in a lighthearted and cheerful way." --School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
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Publishers Weekly
There's no one way to be a person, Gehl and Heinsz suggest in this story about eschewing gender stereotypes. In bubbly art, children are seen first engaging in traditionally gendered activities: "Girls like pom-poms, / pink, and jewels./ Boys like fighting/ pirate duels." "Except," reads the text, "when they don't." A boy in a superhero costume is surrounded by the pink-hued trappings of a tea party; elsewhere, a girl with puffy pink pigtails runs with a football. The pronoun "you" is used to convey that readers need not conform at all ("You might play with swords and knights./ Maybe twirl in flowered tights."). Gehl's text and Heinsz's artwork express the joy of individuality and personal choice: "be exactly who you are." Ages 4-8. (May)
Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
JUV051000 - Juvenile Fiction | Imagination & Play
JUV039140 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance
Individuality
Sex role
Play
