As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, I was keen to find a variety of books within said category for my children. This one did not disappoint. Absolutely stunning illustrations with a perfect depth of explanation for young readers. I didn’t feel like they’d ask me anything I wouldn’t be able to answer after reading this book and it was just an all round massively enjoyable experience. Thank you for writing this.

Wow. What a beautifully written children’s book.

Firstly, the art style is beyond stunning. Secondly, and more importantly, this story has taken my breath away. I wish this book could find its way into the hands of every trans/non-binary/gender fluid child across the world.

This is such an important read and I believe it will save lives. It will be like a warm hug for so many trans children. And I think this book will help cisgendered children to be empathetic and to learn about the different experiences other children may have. No child is born hating other people but they may have been sheltered from seeing openly queer people around them. It is amazing to think that this story will be read out in classrooms and having trans classmates and peers will become normalised to so many cisgendered children who may not yet understand what it means to be trans.

Also, I believe this book will be incredibly important for parents who are trying to learn how to better support and empathise with their trans child/children. The adults guide is an especially helpful addition which is perfect for helping parents to use the correct language when they have important conversations with their children (whether they are cis or trans).

This quote made my heart burst and is so so important for others to understand: ‘I was still the same person I had always been, I just changed some things so that I was happier about myself’.

This entire book is so important and really emphasises the importance of supporting our trans youth to parents or peers who may not have understood how much using the correct pronouns (as an example) means to a trans person.

A ray of light and hope, this book is a must read! I hope it finds a place on every bookshelf in every classroom and library. Trans lives are so important and we should do everything we can to protect and support our trans children.

This was so cute! I usually get worried with using metaphors to show how dysphoria can feel but this felt really spot on. Showing how dysphoria blocks the main character from going swimming or saying yes to plans. I also loved how it grows from little things like shopping or sports or bathrooms. As a kid I didn't have resources or stories like this, I was really confused why I felt that way. Reading this makes me so happy that kids will get to understand themselves better and be fully themselves. I think this is perfect for parents to understand their kids and for parents to learn. If any parents don't think they can be fully supportive of their trans kids, this book will at least help them understand and I think that is wonderful.

As another bonus, I loved seeing the older trans person as a trans man and the younger trans person as a trans girl. So often we see transphobia arguing that trans men are only showing up recently and narratives of trans women focus on the adults. It's a subtle detail that does more work to unpack an assumption in society than many will realize but makes me, a transmasc person, very happy and validated to see.

Nisha has a monster. It follows her around everywhere and sometimes it grows bigger.

This is the book I wish I’d had as a kid! It’s simple while exploring complex issues and has a great guide for parents at the back. It’s sweet and loving while showing just how hard it can be to struggle with gender dysphoria. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

With colorful illustrations and easy-to-understand text, this little book very easily makes way for children, teens, and adults to all grasp a better understanding of gender dysphoria and self expression. A teaching tool alongside a relatable story this is worthy of a lot of praise.

"Ruby has a Worry" meets gender dysphoria! This book was adorable and so accessible! So many young kids feel this way without representation or the language to describe the way they're feeling. The personification of Nisha's feelings was amazing and I love a kids books that highlights the ways adults in their lives can be accepting and helpful! Also, the resources for kids and adults alike at the end of the book are so helpful and will encourage people of all ages to engage in conversations abt gender and sexuality, whether it's applicable to themselves or just to the greater world we live in.

This is a great book about being different and owning it, even if a monster is following you around.

I can already see the hate this beautiful book will get and see it being on some stuffy school's banned books list. In that case, buy 5 copies and share them with any and every person you can!

I read this book with all 5 of my children and it was a wonderful experience. My oldest cried. My middle 3 had so many questions that I'm sure they wouldn't have even thought to ask; about themselves and others alike. My youngest who is too small to really understand much other than the basics was drawn in and constantly pointing out the illustrations.

The story is centered around a young person whose gender does not match what they were told at birth. Each time this mismatch is pointed out, whether by someone using the wrong pronouns, name, or forcing this person to play on the wrong team, their monster grows more upset.

The acceptance and love that you can feel radiating from this book is wonderful and I fully plan on adding it to my physical library and those of all my friends when possible.

This book perpetuates a factually inaccurate and potentially very harmful narrative. Self-acceptance should always be the first port of call. If a boy child wants to wear a dress and grow their hair long, fine. That does not make them a girl. The doctor does not sometimes get it wrong when babies are born and they say whether they are a boy or girl. Stop, just stop.

The art on this was great. There was some missing text on one of the pages. The idea that the inner voice was a monster didn’t resonate with me since the inner voice was what they believed so calling it a monster didn’t make sense to me. The adult guide was extensive.

10/10
Me and My Dysphoria Monster is a children's book following Nisha, a trans girl who's dysphoria is stopping her from doing things she wants to do, like go swimming or hang out with her friends. It grows when she is called a boy, or has to use the mens restroom. This is a story about Nisha learning how to deal with her dysphoria monster.
I loved everything about this book! The artwork is gorgeous, the story is cute and informative, and there is even information for adults at the end of it. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested!

This is a sweet children's book which helps explain to young people what dysphoria might be and also what transgender children may go through. I think not only is this book sweet and beautifully written and illustrated but it's also useful to adults too - with the adults section at the end which helps educate adults and help them answer any questions their children may have about the book. My only issue is there is some missing text bubble in the book - which hopefully will be recified by publishing.

What a tremendously empowering read! As someone learning and growing in order to be a force of good in the world, I appreciate books like this I can utilize as learning and teaching tools!

As an adult who has struggled with a gender identity for their entire life, goodness I did not think this book was going to hit me hard. Its everything I wish I was told when I was younger. Its a simple book with cute artwork, and it gets the feeling of body dysmorphia across in a way that all ages can understand. This book can be a great way for younger kids to learn the words needed to describe their feelings and be able to ask for support while also allowing adults who may not be as familiar to have a way to open the conversation. Overall I love this book and hope to see more inclusive kids books in the future!

Me and My Dysphoria Monster does a wonderful job at presenting gender dysphoria in a way that kids can understand. Nisha's perspective gives children with their own dysphoria monster a story to see themselves in. It's also told in a way that is easy for children comfortable with their gender to understand what others may be going through and how it can feel to be transgender, non-binary or gender queer in some way.

Additionally, the artwork is beautiful, colorful, and vibrant.

WOW. This book was a short, amazing read. As a trans person myself, I found myself relating to Nisha. The way she described her gender dysphoria, and the help and advice she recieved from Jack, all amazing. This book will be a wonderful book for young kids struggling from gender dysphoria who want a story that relates to them. As soon as this book releases, I will be putting it on my shelf.

This book was so cute!

The illustrations were GORGEOUS, especially for the people and the dysphoria monster. I was just amazed by the artstyle the entire time.

The metaphor for dysphoria was clear enough for a child to get, and overall I loved how this, even though the issue it deals with can be quite heavy, was unashamedly a kid's book. Queer books often have the pressure to be dark and heavy and are rarely allowed to be for children. I loved how this book went against that and gives trans youth a heartwarming story that makes them feel understood. It's not only for trans kids though, I think any kids who want to understand either people around them or just how it is being trans would really like this book. As a nonbinary person, I definitely related to this book and I think a lot of other trans people will as well.

But like I said, this is very much a kids' book, and adults or older kids shouldn't expect it to be anything else. Don't treat this like it's supposed to be a thought-provoking masterpiece because it's about dysphoria, treat it like you would any other children's book or you are bound to be disappointed.

So yeah this was a really cute and educating kids' book with a good metaphor, that might not leave an adult going in expecting an all-encompassing ya book left satisfied but definitely does what it's aiming to do in a stellar fashion and would probably leave the target audience much more understanding, of either themself or others, than they were before.

Miigweetch to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for giving me an copy of this book to review.

This is a delightful, straight-forward book about gender dysphoria, written for young children. Nisha is the protagonist of the story and is struggling with gender dysphoria when people refer to her as a boy. Upon meeting an Elder trans person, Nisha comes to understand her "dysphoria monster," what it is, why it appears, and most importantly, what Nisha can do about it.

What I especially like is that the author shows by doing, including not dead-naming Nisha. Deadnaming is the act of referring to a transgender or non-binary person by a name they used prior to transitioning, such as their birth name. Deadnaming may be accidental, or an intentional attempt to deny, mock or invalidate a person's gender identity. This and other terms are helpfully explained in an additional index featured at the end of the book (this portion is aimed at adults).

Overall I though the book was very well-done and a valuable resource for all families with transgender or nonbinary children. It would also make an excellent addition to any school library.

Nisha has a monster, one that grows every time someone calls her the wrong name, or makes her use the wrong bathroom, and more. It grows and grows until Nisha meets a friend of her dad’s, who helps her understand how to shrink her monster and express her true feelings.

Great reference to help kids understand either how they are feeling, or helping others understand why things like gender affirmation are so important. There is also a helpful glossary at the end of the book to help adults reading this book to children learn about terminology so they can better explain some of the concepts. I absolutely loved the illustrations, too.

This book has given me LIFE! I really love the art and it's such a sweet story about understanding your feelings, coming out as a kid, and receiving loving support from the people around you. I also really loved the adult guide at the end as it works as material for both children and parents.