Children’s Pronoun Book explains gender identity

Posted on May 10, 2021 by michellelovatosbookreviews, world's first book color commentator, book reviews with a twist

Every day I get a little older, drift a little farther from the rest of the world. I had to have my grown daughter explain to me what the Pronoun Book was.
The Pronoun Book by Cassandra Jules Corrigan is a children’s title designed to share the proper use of pronouns used in our world today.
Honestly, at first, I thought it was a grammar book, sort of like the old School House Rock series I knew from childhood. I was waiting for a kitschy song and some cartoons.
I guess it is, really. Only today is so much different. Spoiler Alert: There is no kitschy song, but this is a piece of grammar I need to learn all over again.
The Pronoun book tackles gender identity and the respectful way to refer to people these days. This graphic-novel style book explains how to refer to today’s society and delves into addressing those born one sex and determining themselves another.
It never occurred to me that I would insult someone just by the pronouns I used.
“When you were born, you are assigned “female” and “male” based on your biological sex, and people refer to you with the pronouns that match your assigned gender,” the book explains.
Now, however, we all choose our own gender identity, which changes the pronoun choice.
The Pronoun Book explains that “cisgender” means that you are the gender you were born with. So you are a he or she.
“Transgender” is when a person is born with one sexual identity but chooses another. In that case, they are referred to as the sex they desire.
Okay.
Here’s where I got confused. Some people choose not to be identified as any gender, which makes them “non-binary.” These people are neither male nor female.
I did not know this existed.
It’s growing more complicated at this point. Non-binary people who do not identify with any gender are referred to as “agender.” Then some people refer to themselves as both sexes simultaneously, which is “bigender.” Next are the group of people who identify as somewhere between the two genders, which is called “genderqueer.”
I’m surprised that is not insulting.
Finally, there are “genderfluid” people who identify as different genders at different times.
No wonder we all insult each other. Who can keep track? Lord, all mighty.
Anyone in this non-binary group is referred to as they/them/their, depending on how a sentence is constructed. Example: They are my dad. The dress belongs to them.
Wow. This confuses me. I’m not trying to insult anyone. I would never do that. I’m just puzzled by this entire problem of pronouns. Imagine someone trying to learn this from another native language.
But my daughter understood it and caught me up on the world’s terminology.
Wait! There’s more.
The Pronoun Book teaches readers the definition of “intersex,” someone born with both sexual parts. That person is classified as “neo-sexual,” which means they can do whatever they want as far as identity (which I think everyone else can as well). Neo-sex people, however, get their own brand new set of pronouns. We can refer to those folks as ze, zir, or zirs, depending on the sentence tense.
I would have flagged ze/zir/zirs as a misspelled word.
But even my spell check knows these pronoun facts I am unaware of. By the way, isn’t ze, zir, or zirs singling out one group of people? If you are ze, zir, or zirs, then doesn’t that automatically tell everyone something about their body? Doesn’t that single them out? Is that something we need to know? I’m so confused.
This is standard terminology for today’s world, however, and explains why people like me can be so offensive in public.
Lord, I’m only 57. I’m not THAT old. It sure is a good thing the Pronoun Book is out to explain social manners to people like me. I would have gotten it wrong every time.
Here’s what I think about all this, reader. It might be best for me just to keep my mouth shut. That way, I can’t offend anyone. I wonder if sign language has different pronouns now too.

BoutiquePublishingService@hotmail.com
BoutiqueBooks@hotmail.com
Happy are those who respect the Lord and obey him. You will enjoy what you work for, and you will be blessed with good things. Psalm 128: 1-2

This book made my millennial heart very happy. This book teaches about pronouns in a way that is direct, polite, and easy to understand by providing both definitions and examples pronouns and other terms that deal with gender. While directed at kids, this book would be a very helpful resource for anyone wanting to show love and inclusion. As seen on the cover, the illustrations show people of various backgrounds so kids will see themselves in the pages. The book includes tips and resources for adults, a pronoun chart, glossary, and sample letters of what parent’s can write to their child’s teachers and friend’s parents asking them to respect their child’s pronouns. Pronouns are not political. Using the correct pronouns and other forms of inclusive language is a sign of love and respect.

Thank you to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Pronoun Book, is a brightly coloured and informative book aimed for children. Although if you are an adult that finds pronouns confusing, you may also find this book helpful.

The illustrations are what grabbed my attention to this book first. The are incredibly diverse, featuring people of all sizes, shapes, races and nationalities.

It starts off with the basics, explaining Male and Female pronouns, and then goes on further using terms such cis, non-binary and transgenger.

The Pronoun Book, is written in an easy way for children (and adults) to understand, and at the end of the book even includes letter templates for parents to use when discussing Pronouns with family/friends and for their child’s school.

As someone that works with children and is very familiar with children’s books, I can highly recommend!

A very short but concise introduction to pronouns for children, this book covers quite a lot of information that is needed when teaching children to respect other people’s pronouns. I would definitely use this as a teaching resource.

I adored this little book. The illustrations are charming and inclusive, the language accessible without condescension, and I love the resources for parents and guardians in the back of the book! I found it to be straight-forward and warm all at once, which is exactly what I believe these resources should be for a younger audience.

As a non-binary individual, it’s great to see books and resources such as this coming out for children so we can raise them to be a part of an increasingly diverse and inclusive world. Excited to get my hands on a physical copy for my niece when I’m able!

Honestly, I feel like this book should be for adults just as much as kids! I definitely learned some new phrases, and I think teaching our kids about pronouns today is definitely something that should be addressed. This book was written in a very approachable way, and reinforced that the most important thing is to ask questions and be openminded. I also really like the example letters and other recommended books at the end. I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This is a great book for teaching young children about gender identity. The book explains what a pronoun is in a simple and easy to understand way. It also explains that it is up to individuals to choose their own pronoun. There are clear illustrations throughout making it very simple to understand.

This book teaches children to be aware and sensitive to others and their identity and would be a useful book for Primary Schools. It also has helpful notes for teachers and carers at the end. An important book on diversity and inclusion!

Thank you to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publications for this eARC.

This book is stunning and should be in primary schools across the country. A beautiful little book.
Not only does it do a great job at pitching pronouns to a child friendly age but includes great resources for parents and teacher too.

The world needs more books like this

The Pronoun Book is a wonderful introduction for children about gender identity and pronouns. It's very straightforward and easy to understand. I liked the illustrations and think this will be perfect for elementary school aged children.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC.

The book tells us about the various pronouns used by people and why we should use them. It's important to imbibe the importance of respecting people irrespective of how they are similar or different they are. And this book does just that in a fun and engaging way which makes it understandable even for kids.

It is incredible that this generation is raised up being familiar to these concepts immediately and starts to incorporate them in their lives in early stages, truly, such a brilliant thing to see.
I think this is a must have in any kid's shelf, ending up being relevant for any age. Besides the adorable art work, it is a great book to grow up with and I would a 100% gift this to my children if I end up having any.
Really happy that this exists, great job!!

This was such a delightful read! It does a very good job at being an introduction to the "pronoun" world. I can easily see a parent reading this with their child, helping them become socially aware.

I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Pronoun Book is an adorably illustrated children's book that explains the in's and out's of pronouns; what they are, what they mean, how they are used, and all sorts of reasons people might explore their own pronouns. Bright illustrations and easy to follow examples would make this book perfect for children and even adults who are still learning about gender. My one critique would be that there is a lot of info all at once, many terms that may be new to people in a short span of time. However, with the bright illustrations to guide kids along, I don't feel it'd be a huge problem. I appreciated the inclusion of neo-pronouns and their history, showing that language and gender can be ever changing.

Straight forward but very comprehensive source of information about pronouns for children. I am CIS gendered, so my opinion isn't the utmost important but as far as my opinion goes I think it's an excellent book and i'd buy it for my child.

I am so happy to know books like this are being written so children can learn since they’re little! but this is by no means only a kids book, everyone should be reading it because we all need to do a little learning. I really wished it were also available in Spanish so I could show it to my mother instead of having to explain to her how pronouns work every time.

Very informative read. Must read for everyone, especially children should be taught about the pronouns from very beginning.

A nice book about treating people with proper decency and teaching children how to approach what can be a tricky conversation for them. It has some nice illustrations and a helpful glossary at the back with terms to help make explaining easier. I'm also pleased that it addresses it mostly in a fun way, never trying to make the child feel bad if they make a mistake.

Not a criticism but a note for potential readers, while the book is overall well done, it might be a difficult one for younger readers if they are trying to read by themselves. It's clear this is a parent reading it to their child sort of book rather than one for them to tackle. While that makes it more informative and obviously more accurate, I still this should be mentioned for the sake of the younger readers who are used to trying to sound out words on their own.

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting book which was well set out and clearly explains the different pronouns that are being used in society. It is a valuable book to help clear up some misconceptions as gender fluidity becomes more common.

The books uses illustrations to help support the message which work well together. It is not preachy, but offering informed ways to address what could potentially be a tricky situation. I did not know there was such a range of pronouns in use today and feel that I have learnt something from reading this book.

Oh. My. Goodness. This is the book I've been searching for. Literally this book covers pronouns in such perfect detail and with such respect at an age appropriate level for any elementary school child and honestly adults too!! I really appreciate the amazing representation in this book so that people of several races and backgrounds appear prominently. The illustrations really drive home the concept of diversity and acceptance in perfect harmony with the words.

I really need a finished copy of this book and am going to recommend it to my elementary school's library as well as my 1st grader's teacher for the classroom library!

A clearly written book which would help both children and adults understand the use of pronouns and the need to use them correctly. As an educator, I would hope this book would be included in class libraries for children to absorb in their own time as well as to start discussions.