I thought this was cute but I have a few quibbles. The little rhymes for each letter were mostly good, but some of the rhyming and rhythm was off which is quite jarring. More importantly, some of the definitions were inaccurate and potentially damaging, most notably "intersex" being defined as "born with the parts of both a boy and a girl" which is... not at all accurate. The expanded definition in the glossary at the end is better, but still not good enough. I also question using "ally" for the letter A instead of asexual - although asexual is included in the glossary. I appreciate the overall message of this book and the illustrations are cute. I'd just definitely change the intersex part if I was reading it out loud to someone.

Rating: 4.5/5
Queer: Yes! Very much so!
Diverse: Yes, the drawings aren't all white kids!
ARC: Yes, received from Netgalley

Summary: The ABCs of queerness.

Review: Other than the fact that I think A should've been for Asexual (seeing as asexual is part of the queer community and part of their glossary) instead of Ally, I thought this book was really cute and really great. It doesn't hold back, and it's extremely informative. The world needed this book, so I'm glad it exists.

(Reviewed on The StoryGraph, a Black-owned and created alternative to GoodReads - beta.thestorygraph.com)

A fun, modern ABC for the 21st century. This book is ideal for introducing kids to LGBTQ+ terminology, and a great conversation starter about feelings, identity, and more.
The colourful illustrations brighten the pages and the information is presented in a child-friendly way that is easy to understand and uses simple sentences.

An essential addition to any inclusive classroom bookshelf.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A great, accessible introduction to LGBTQ+ terminology for young people, beginning with ‘Ally’ so it’s inclusive for all children. The language is perfect for the target age range and everything is explained factually yet in an engaging way. The illustrations are beautiful and support the text perfectly.

This book is so cute! This book is full of great ways to describe different orientations in a simple way to children. It also has lots of references to LGBT culture (like Kiki and Sashay) included as well. I especially appreciated the inclusion of words like 'mountain', 'coming out', and 'respect' to help show some of the struggles that LGBT people can face.
The illustrations are of two boys and two girls, and all of them appear to be of different ethnicity, which I LOVED to see!! Inclusion like that is so important to young children; I especially appreciated that one of the girls had a tomboy look and was not the stereotypical girl in dresses and pigtails. I think this is WONDERFUL and a fantastic book for LGBT kids that we desperately need. However, I have two big issues with this book.
The first issue I see is that "bisexual' is listed as a binary sexuality that includes only male or female. This is not a true depiction of bisexuality. Bisexuality has always included male, female, AND nonbinary people in it's definition, which can be seen in "The Bisexual Manifesto" which was written in 1990. Any bisexual you ask will also tell you the same thing. Bi is not binary like it is being made out to be in this book.
My second issue is the inclusion of Intersex in an obviously LGBT book. While it is important to raise awareness about Intersex peoples and their struggles, they have repeatedly asked that they NOT be included in the LGBT acronym or in LGBT-centric spaces. You can see these comments from Intersex people in articles from organizations like Intersex Human Rights Australia, Association of American Medical Colleges, ILGA Europe, and Intersex Initiative just to name a few.
Despite these two harmful depictions, I still would recommend those wanting to introduce young children to the existence/struggles of LGBT people pick this book up as it is a wonderful start.

A quick, and I'd say somewhere above boardbook level, ABC book for kids who's parents aren't scared of discussing LGBTQ+ issues early. Simple but strong illustrations help to highlight each definition. I think it's pretty cool! Highest rating!

The GayBCs is a unique book using the alphabet to explain all about the basics of LGBTQ+.

I think this is a great way to introduce terminology to children. It's simple, uses great pictures and makes it easy. I can honestly think of some adults who could use this book...

This book makes it fun to learn and understand. It's very sweet but I can see some people not enjoying it (but those people aren't made for this book anyways). A is for ally, as the book says. I think some of the terminology might go over kids heads, but this book is just an introduction so it won't make much of a difference. I have seen comments from other reviewers that some letters had multiple options, but we need to remember this was only going over the alphabet once. There was always a chance that some terms were going to be left out.

Overall, I think this is a great tool and is very fun. It's full of colours and fun pictures as well!

Three out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quirk Books for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

So so cute. I love the art and the message of this book. Books like this start conversations and answer the questions come kids just can't ask or do not know what to ask. Asset to any collection.

The GayBC’s
By M. L. Webb
5.0 / 5.0

I loved this book from beginning to end. I remember seeing this book during Book Expo last year(2019) and I wanted to get my hands on a copy so badly. I love the idea of introducing all of these terms early on in a child’s life that way it isn’t considered “strange” when they get older. I loved the terms they included. It’s great to see everyone included in the same book. I will be reading this book to my future children. I hope teachers are using this book to help everyone feel accepted. I will definitely recommend this book and buy myself a copy ASAP!

Author’s Site: https://www.mlwebb.co/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/GayBCs-M-L-Webb/dp/1683691628/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+gaybcs&qid=1592944947&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-gaybcs-ml-webb/1130879584?ean=9781683691624

This review will appear on my blog on July 28, 2020.

This is a cute book that will serve as an introduction to the LGBTQ+ community, but some of the words are stretching it a bit.

This book gives us an A to Z full of LGBTQIA terms for families and allies. This book has nice representation and cute images. A nice addition to pride lists and collections.

I love the title and concept. Each letter of the alphabet is represented by a term related to the LGBTQIA+ community. The illustrations feature kids of different races with various gender expressions partaking in an activity related to the word. Each letter is incorporated into the background of the illustration for that page. Rhyming text make this book perfect for a read aloud to a group or one on one with a child. The book has an unfortunate beginning with "A is for Ally," because A is actually for asexual. Asexual is listed in the glossary, but it would have been nice to have it showcased with illustrations. Overall it's a cute book that explains LGBTQIA+ terms in a simple, age appropriate way that could lead to further conversations with a grown-up.

Fantastic text, both as an ABC concept book and a book to help explain gender, identity, sexual identity and more. A book that every library should own in order to provide a more diverse and accepting collection. The illustrations were so-so. The letters were sometimes difficult to see in the pictures. I enjoyed how they were incorporated into the illustrations but since this was titled as an ABC book, they should have featured more prominently. They also felt a little too old school and not as engaging as they could have been.

Regardless, this book is much needed in the Children's section of libraries and schools. Books like these help break stereotypes, inclusive of all children, and build a vocabulary of compassion for the next generation.

I thought this was an adorable book and it is a great introduction to kids who are either questioning or who just want to become more knowledgeable on the subject of the LGBT+ community.
The first thing I want to draw attention to is the F is for Family. I love the inclusion of found family and the acknowledgement that a family does not have to be related to you in order to call it a family. I think the message that found families are just as important and as much a real family as a related family is a very important message to get across.
This was a very positive book and a very accepting book. I’m pointing this out because often times when discussing LGBT+ issues and rights homophobia, transphobia, and other hatred and discrimination that LGBT people face often get brought up and this book had none of that. This book focused only on the positive aspects of being in the community and I think that is also another favorite part of the book, especially since this is more of a kids’ book.
My one issue is asexual and aromantic. A is for ally and while this is an important term to know, I still think there could have been more of an inclusion of either the asexual spectrum or the aromantic spectrum in the book. The glossary at the back included asexuality, but it did not talk mention aromanticism and the description of asexuality kind of combined the two. I do understand that the author of this book might not have wanted to dive into sexual attraction and what that means, but I still think more of an effort could have been made.
I’m still giving this book five stars despite overlooking asexuality and aromanticism because this is a very important book for introducing kids to the LGBT community and there should be more books like it.

I will definitely be recommending this book to educators, librarians, and parents. This is a great way to introduce the LGBTQ+ community to children. The syntax is playful and informative, and I have a feeling, this is going to help a lot of kids who might have questions, and serve as a reminder that they are not alone.

This fun little book is not a starter ABC book but it is a great book to introduce LGBTQ terminology to children.

There’s words that are expected, like ally, bi, and orientation, and words that are pulled from gay cutlure, like kiki, vogue and sashay, as well as words that aren’t specifically queer but helped carry the converseration (and complete the alphabet, of course), like joy, mountain and zest.

The illustrations are cute and incorporate the letters, always showing children happily interacting and accepting each other. In the back there is a glossary of all the words and their more exact definitions which will probably come in handy for children that are more inquisitive and want things explained.
Not a mindblowing book or one that is actually particularly helpful for teaching the ABCs but it is very cute and I am all for having more LGBT books for children and families.

I've actually seen a decent number of these books cropping up recently and just like the others, I'm thoroughly pleased to see that books like this are being published. Though, as with others, not without its problems, this is a trend I would like to see continue. <em>The GayBCs</em> written and illustrated by M. L. Webb is a LGBTQ+ positive alphabet novel for, well, everyone. But also for children. And it's really great to see.

With beautiful illustrations and brilliantly bright colors, this is definitely a book that will be engaging to kids. I think, to an extent, it might be a bit above their comprehension level depending on what age group you are reading it to, however, that doesn't mean the exposure isn't a great thing.

Now, the biggest problem with this particular book is that the letter A was used for ally. While I won't say that this is the <em>worst </em>decision, it definitely wasn't a great one. I would assume that the thought behind it would be to pull in straight and cis-gendered people, to make them feel seen in this book in order to have them be more involved in being an ally. And while this is kind of an okay idea in the sense that we do want more people to be welcoming and act like an ally, it really doesn't have a place in this book. It especially doesn't have a place when ally is used in favor of asexual.

So, with that in mind, my hope is that the next time a LGBTQ+ supportive ABC book is written, that unfortunate decision with the letter A will not be made again.

<em>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</em>

This review will go live on the Reader Fox blog on June 2, 2020.

A is for asexual and aromantic, not ally. Some of the letters are curious word choices (kiki, vogue, mountain??) and the rhymes are clunky. The book is sweet and well-intentioned, but needs some revamping.

This book was darling. I read it with the four year old and six year old I nanny for and they loved it. It opened up the doors for many conversations and hopefully will help them to feel comfortable coming to a grown-up in their life when or if they need to. This book is perfect for libraries, elementary and preschools. It was a joy to read something like this and I know it would have immensely helped me when I was a child struggling to understand my feelings.

This book is absolutely adorable and I love it so much and I can't wait to read it to my potential future offspring or my niblings or really any child I have the opportunity to read to. The little vignettes inspired by each letter of the alphabet are informative and uplifting for tiny humans who are intersex or gender creative and helps normalize the queer experience in an age-appropriate way. My only wish is that the book included some representations of kiddos with visible disabilities, who are often left behind in information about the queer community in general.