Children’s books aren’t something we really review on the blog, but the book tour for Pink, Blue, and You!: Questions for Kids about Gender Stereotypes was one that caught my eye. TBR and Beyond Tours is a hosting a tour for this book and it’s my turn to talk about this book today. Keep on reading for more about this book and my thoughts!
Pink, Blue & You!: Questions for Kids about Gender Stereotypes by Elise Gravel
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
Publishing Date: March 8, 2022
Simple, accessible, and direct, this picture book is perfect for kids and parents or teachers to read together, opening the door to conversations about gender stereotypes and everyone’s right to be their true selves.
Is it okay for boys to cry? Can girls be strong? Should girls and boys be given different toys to play with and different clothes to wear? Should we all feel free to love whoever we choose to love? In this incredibly kid-friendly and easy-to-grasp picture book, author-illustrator Elise Gravel and transgender collaborator Mykaell Blais raise these questions and others relating to gender roles, acceptance, and stereotyping.
With its simple language, colorful illustrations, engaging backmatter that showcases how appropriate male and female fashion has changed through history, and even a poster kids can hang on their wall, here is the ideal tool to help in conversations about a multi-layered and important topic.
Book Links
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Review
Pink, Blue, and You! is a great guide for children about gender, pronouns, stereotypes, history, and that’s it’s okay to be you. I thought the illustrations were colorful and fit the age group this book is meant for. The book asks open questions to have kids start thinking about their own opinions and how they feel.
I loved that the author gave some facts and history about how hard it can be for people to be who they are and who has been brave and stood up for themselves. And we also get some interesting facts. Like did you know pink was originally seen as a color for boys? This book is a great take on this subject and it definitely opens up the conversation with children.
Tour Schedule
During this tour there are other amazing bloggers and bookstagrammers participating on this tour. Click here for the full tour schedule.
About the Author
I was born in Montreal in 1977 and I started drawing not very long after I was born. In kindergarten I was popular because I was able to draw princesses with long spiral hair. Then, in high school, the girls would ask me to draw their ideal guy in their diary. I became very good at drawing muscles and hair, which I used later when I illustrated my book The Great Antonio . On the other hand, I am always just as bad when it comes time to use a diary correctly.
Later, I studied graphic design at Cegep and that’s when I understood that I wanted to do illustration. After my first book, the Catalog des Gaspilleurs , I wrote and illustrated about thirty others . One of my books, The Wrench , won the Governor General’s Award in the Illustration category, and since that time I have a big head and I brag all the time.
I live in Montreal with my two daughters, my husband, my cats and a few spiders. I am currently working on various projects in Quebec, English Canada and the United States. My books are translated into a dozen languages. I hope to live a long time so that I can still make lots and lots of books because I still have lots and lots of ideas.
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This book is definitely a great way to start a discussion with children about gender, stereotypes, etc. I love the pictures and questions and it’s a great guide to help explain everyone is different and it’s okay to be you!