My Princess Boy

From the Publisher

"This is a book about unconditional love, social acceptance, and a strong family. It is also a call for diversity, tolerance, and an end to bullying and judgments. It will be well placed in elementary school counseling offices as well as in school and public libraries."–Alison Donnelly, Collinsville Memorial Public Library, IL

- SLJ June 2011

Children's Literature - Beverley Fahey

The Princess Boy likes to wear pink dresses and dance like a ballerina. He loves to twirl and wear a tiara even when he climbs a tree. When he goes shopping he chooses the most sparkly clothes and little girl jewelry. For Halloween he was a princess and at his birthday party he greeted everyone by announcing "I am a Princess Boy!" and waved his wand. His mom and dad love him just the way he is and his "cool" older brother celebrates his uniqueness. His mother, the narrator, asks the reader not to laugh and call him names but to accept him for who he is. With courage and honesty, the author addresses a societal taboo—transgender identity. The story is based on her own, now five-year-old son, who still calls himself Princess Boy. His mother asks for acceptance without judgment and support for all children no matter how they wish to look. The warm watercolors with their emphasis on pink clearly show a happy and well adjusted child. Each of the characters remains faceless, allowing families to cast themselves in the various roles. This is a powerful book written by a mother who has moved from confusion and heartbreak to acceptance of her boy for who he is. It is still a very difficult concept for very young children to understand and this book should only be used with adult guidance. It can be useful to open dialog where a transgender child may be a part of a neighborhood or classroom. Elementary school guidance counselors and psychologists will find this a welcome addition to their professional collections, but not a book for general collections. Although this family is truly accepting of their child, one wonders if the attention this book has garnered as well as the media spotlight on the mother and son as they make the round of the talk shows will not open the boy to ridicule as he navigates his way through school. One also senses that this kind of attention may just be an exploitation of a very innocent child who at this tender age needs his privacy protected. Reviewer: Beverley Fahey

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2—Kilodavis introduces the difficult themes of bullying and being different, based on the experiences of her four-year-old son. The book tells of a boy who "plays dress up in girly dresses" and is laughed at when he wears them to school but has the support of his family. It is tenderly written and simple enough to be understood by young children. Readers learn about the child's experiences, good and bad. At the end, powerful questions are directed to them for thought and discussion: "If you see a Princess Boy….Will you call him a name? …Will you like him for who he is?" DeSimone's illustrations are colorful, bright, and positive. Children may ask why the people depicted have no faces, which may spark discussions about how we are all the same. This is a book about unconditional love, social acceptance, and a strong family. It is also a call for diversity, tolerance, and an end to bullying and judgments. It will be well placed in elementary school counseling offices as well as in school and public libraries.—Alison Donnelly, Collinsville Memorial Public Library, IL