Member Reviews
A quick and important read clarifying the correct use of pronouns - using clear examples and offering these in a non judgmental way. The formatting of the Advanced Reader Kindle version was lost a bit (speech bubbles and text did not match up) but I look forward to buying a hard copy to share with parents, teachers and students in our school library.
The illustrations are bright and appealing, the explanations uncomplicated, with an excellent glossary of terms for easy reference. This book certainly fills a gap in what is available to support students navigating personal identity, and in encouraging an understanding of each others identities.
Thank you Net Galley for the ARC in return for an honest review.
Illustrations were fresh and the whole concept of the book was very inclusive and overall thought it was great.
An extremely useful starting resource that introduces the concept of pronouns. 'The Pronoun Book' addresses important topics (such as pronouns, biological sex, and gender-albeit briefly) in a fun and engaging manner appropriate for children. The information is digestible and not too overwhelming with text.
However, I feel that this book serves as a great starting resource and should be accompanied by more information to consolidate understanding. The glossary and tips and resources, and pronoun charts are extremely useful. Furthermore, I feel understanding could perhaps be enriched by more use of storytelling and/or characters for readers.
Also, I appreciate how the book notes that it is important to use the correct pronouns and that it is kind and respectful to do so,
The accompanying art is gorgeous and engaging, using bright and vivid colours. I love the art style.
Overall, 'The Pronoun Book' is not only useful for children, but also for adults. I would highly recommend this book in a classroom setting.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A brilliant short book explaining pronouns, gender and biological sex.
The author introduces pronouns outside of he/him/his and she/her/hers in an accessible manner for children and adults of all ages. Inclusion of all the different terms within the transgender and non-binary spectrum was a nice welcome, as was the inclusion of intersex and the small explanation of what these all are.
My only quip is the inclusion of saying sorry when you get someone's pronouns incorrect, this places responsibility on the misgendered person to say "it's okay", most folk feel just correcting oneself or thanking someone for correcting you is better practice.
What an AMAZING resource for not only kids, but adults who would like to educate themselves on different pronouns and how to use them.
I read this to my 8th graders who had recently been asking about how to use different pronouns, and they loved it so much, they asked to read it again in our next lesson.
All terms are accurate but are positioned in a way that kids of all ages would be able to digest.
This amazing resource also includes a pronouns chart. This book is a must have for all educators of all grade levels.
Interesting and informative presented in a friendly picture centred way which children can relate to. The information for adults at the end of the book is very useful.
A great book for any age that gives a guiding hand through the explanations of pronouns and the difference biological sex and gender. There is a lot of information and the reading level is higher than early elementary so very young readers might have a hard time sitting still for the whole book; however, I think it's still the perfect book to add early to a child's collection. Will be buying this for my niece when it's published, and my library.
The Pronoun Book by Cassandra Jules Corrigan is a very cute book to help teach children about different genders and pronouns.
It was well written, easy to understand even for a child, and the illustrations and colour choices were beautiful. I especially loved the pronoun list and glossary included at the end - it taught me some cool neo pronouns I didn't know about (zae/zaem/zaer, in case you were wondering).
The inclusion of a section at the back specifically for adults - a little dos and don'ts help, for example, don't misgender someone because you don't like them, and if you do accidentally misgender someone, quickly apologize, correct and remember for next time - was a great idea. As were the letter templates afterward that detailed how to go about informing teachers and other parents about your child's pronouns.
At the very back of the book, there were a few other books recommended to continue teaching children about similar topics, which was helpful.
Overall I really liked this short, informative children's book, and I think it is definitely something that will help a lot of parents out there.
The Pronoun Book by Cassandra Jules Corrigan is a must have book for every library or any family looking to explain differences in pronouns.
Though the illustrations have a dated 90s look to them, they are inclusive. The book gives information in small increments, helping children and adults alike to understand the importance of using someone’s preferred pronouns. Easy to understand information is presented regarding the differences between cisgender, transgender, and non-binary.
At the back of the book, the author has provided a list of pronouns being used by people to familiarize yourself with, as well as helpful letters for grown ups looking to help their children in a classroom setting or with the adults of childhood friends.
Kids are fully capable of understanding the information, and Corrigan presents it in an easily read format. The book hits shelves in October 2021.
Thank you, Netgalley, for the opportunity to read an arc version of this book!
While scrolling through the children’s nonfiction section, this book caught my eye. I didn’t learn about pronouns and gender identity consciously until late in high school, and that isn’t acceptable given how much more we know now. As a high school teacher, I know that some of my students have not been exposed to many ideas about gender identity, and I am responsible for remedying this. I also have two nephews, and I would like them to grow up with the greatest understanding of themselves and those around them as possible.
One thing I appreciated immediately were the images--the author/illustrator take advantage of the visuals to promote a range of identities and recognize varying backgrounds/representation (ex. “She’s my foster sister.”). Such small moments and mentions have an impact and I loved how naturally it is included in the book.
The dialogue/speech bubbles are descriptive while still being conversation starters for the reader. I appreciated that neo-pronouns are included. There are multiple acknowledgments of how anyone can use any pronoun, regardless of whether the person identifies as cisgender, transgender, intersex, and so forth. There is also a glossary and pronoun chart at the end of the book, which I found very helpful for pushing my thinking. I would highly recommend having this book in the classroom, and I also intend to gift it to my nephews.
I know this will be an unpopular review, but, here goes ...
This is such an important topic, and such a confusing subject, but this is not the book I’d choose to open a discussion in my classes.
First, it seems to be trying to be too many different things at once and thus falls flat, not accomplishing any of them. I feel like all the high praise is simply to be “politically correct” and so the reviewers feel “woke,” but for me, I’m truly looking for an appropriate starting point to address a difficult and uncomfortable discussion within my classroom. Or with friends. Or with ignorant strangers.
It appears (yes, as the book points out, appearances can be misleading or absolutely false) to be aimed at children. But if so, it’s too wordy, and the pages are too cluttered. There needs to be feeling behind the story, and, in fact, a story. Right now, it’s boring and between too simplistic and not simplified enough.
If it’s aimed at teens, then the words need to be slightly more “sophisticated” and the feelings and thoughts behind the reexamination of the pronouns need to be addressed. The book needs to explain why this is an important topic and why this isn’t a matter of just choosing a new name or choosing what to wear in the morning or choosing a title.
If it’s for adults, then there needs to be a discussion of the politicalization of gender and the sides of the issue, less cutesy language and cartoonish characters, but more of a sophistication in thought.
The book doesn’t address any of the politics, or feelings behind the pronouns, nor why this topic would even need to be addressed, and therefore it’s not much more than illustrated dictionary definitions.
The Pronoun Book will be a good starting place for parents first embarking on pronoun conversations with both their children, and the people in their child's life. This book had more content/resources for parents than for their children, but I found that shying away from the details of some definitions might leave both parents and children confused about some parts. However, this could be a good starting place for families who are only looking to dip their toes in the shallow end of these conversations. I did appreciate that there are resources listed at the end to help point parents in the direction of their next steps--of which I found the pronoun chart and note samples to be the strongest.
This clear, easy-to-read book is a must for any classroom. It offers a clear explanation of different pronouns and the importance of using them correctly. I will definitely be looking to get copies of this for all of our classes.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for proving an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
I can't even begin to describe how much I loved this book!!
First of all, I love how we're normalizing the use of pronouns at a young age, specifically the idea that children have the freedom to explore their gender identity and that others around them may be doing the same. I didn't really learn about pronouns in the context of queerness until about 9th grade which was 4 years ago. These types of conversations are just gaining in normalcy, and this is a great resource for kids to learn.
Second of all, I love the inclusion of neo-pronouns! I think the explanation for what they are in the book was really great to understand, and I love the acknowledgement that neo-pronouns can be difficult for us to undertsna dat first, but that they often use the same conjugations as she/her, he/him and they/them pronouns.
I love what was said in the end about how our definitions of gender and pronouns are constantly changing because the only limit is our imagination. This is just such a lovely way to think about how the development of gender in society works.
And finally, I love the note to parents at the end. Current parents didn't go through the whole pronoun thing growing up! That wasn't taught! And for that many parents are at a loss as to how to explain it to their children, and researching on the internet can sometimes lead to more questions that answers. This book is a super concise and helpful way for parents to navigate these conversations, and the way the note to the parents at the end contained a lot more nuance was super great. I especially appreciate the clarification hat pronouns are not conditional, and cannot be weaponized against people as punishment even when they're awful people. And the sample template note for parents to send to teachers and parents notifying them of what pronouns their child uses was super cute and helpful!
this was a lovely story! I personally don’t like the use of the words “females” and “males” so that kinda threw me off, but that was just a personal thing. Other than that, I throughout enjoyed this and would recommend it to parents trying to begin the conversation around gender and pronouns with to their young ones.
Reviewing an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley.
I think this will be a useful and straightforward guide for children and adults alike. It does not over complicate things, focusing on a nice message about checking in on other people's pronoun preferences. A good starting point for further discussion if your child still has unanswered questions
This is such a wonderful book! It's written in a way that would be fairly easy for children to understand yet is still quite in-depth on the subject being talked about. As much as it's a picture book it isn't just for children it's for everyone, Even as an adult I found this book very informative. I truly believe that it's important for everyone, especially children, to learn about pronouns and gender identity and this book does an excellent job at covering all of that. Even as an adult I found this book very informative. I also enjoyed the additional information and tips at the back of the book. This is definitely a book that should be in every classroom and every household.
This book. Was very informative to me as an adult. I think given the right age level, it could be good for kids.
Pronouns can be tough. First, what is a pronoun? Many children (and adults) get this confused with proper nouns and then also don't see the value of a pronoun.
In a modern world where we have more choice and freedom to express ourselves how we wish to, the use of pronouns has come into play. This can be confusing to both children and adults who have been brought up with a binary view on gender, but gender and biological sex are different and the way we express ourselves now doesn't always conform to traditional gender stereotypes.
This book clearly sets out what pronouns how, how they are used and why some people may use different pronouns to the ones we may expect them to. It also contains information about neo-pronouns, which was interesting, but I feel needed a little more development as I still don't fully understand what they mean, how they are pronounced or why these have developed.
I enjoyed the additional reads and helpful tips and letter templates at the end of the book also.
A vibrant, thorough, just truly top-notch picture book for children ages 5+ to learn to talk about pronouns. The book follows two characters as they walk the reader through lots of different aspects of pronouns and how to use them, including the difference between biological sex and gender identity, and even introducing neo-pronouns. The writing is clear, specific, and compelling without being patronizing or abstract.
The illustrations are really engaging, with a diverse representation of people by race, religion, age, and gender expression.
This is a truly excellent introduction for kids and their caregivers to start talking about pronouns and pronoun usage. It also includes a section in the back for adults that has other resources, further book recommendations, a pronoun chart, a glossary of terms, and sample notes to send to parents and teachers about your kid's pronouns.
I'm so thrilled this book exists,
Thanks to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the ARC!