Welcome to Litsy!

This appealing picture book about gender stereotypes is well-suited to its audience: children from preschool through to Grade 2. Author/illustrator Elise Gravel received the Rights and Freedoms Award in Quebec for “raising awareness & popularizing complex & sometimes taboo subjects among children.” Gravel worked with trans educator Mykaell Blais to create Pink, Blue and You! #CanadianAuthor #kidlit

150 years ago, all little kids wore white frilly dresses and long hair. Here‘s a picture of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a president of the United States, when he was four.

This page particularly resonated with the recent announcement Jacinta Ardern made, that she is resigning her position as NZ‘s prime minister. A continuous barrage of abuse and threats likely played a part in her decision. Women have a much harder time in politics simply for stepping outside of traditional gender roles.

I like the way this book explains to preschoolers the difference between sex (having to do with small differences in our bodies) and gender identity (how we feel inside).

Who made these rules? Do we need to follow them? What happens if we don‘t want to?

I wish I could‘ve recorded Lily‘s outraged shocked face on some of these pages when she learned that girls weren‘t always allowed to wear pants, or that boys are expected to never be sad or scared, or that two people who love each other couldn‘t always get married. For once, I feel like I‘m doing something right. 🌈