A short, yet informing read that tackles body dysphoria and transitioning. An important read and an excellent resource for helping both children and adults understand. Explained in a simple and easy to understand way, while still being engaging. A beautifully illustrated book.

I, without a doubt will be buying this for my classroom as soon as it is available - and I qualify! This story is suitable for young readers to begin to broach the subject of gender identity, and why they or their friends could be experiencing some feelings of dysphoria the same as Nisha. Most importantly, this book focuses on positive support for children going through feelings of being transgender, and opens up a respectful dialogue that can be built upon and reinforced throughout their childhood with other children or adults. I especially loved the adult guide at the back of the book, it was very clear and concise and there were links on where to go for further support or advice for talking to children about gender identity. Finally, the illustrations throughout the book were beautiful, colourful and so very cute. This must be included in all classrooms!

This.Book.Is.Goregeous.

To began the illustrations in this book are a dream, Nisha (the main character) has such a charming expressive face!

But aside from being a work of art, Me and My Dysphoria Monster is an excellent visual representation of the struggles trans youth go through and how it effects them. As a transgender man myself I would of loved books like this as a child, perhaps my dysphoria monster would have shrunk a lot sooner- and it makes me so happy to know the next generation have books like this.

This story would be fantastic not only for trans children however, but also cis children (and even adults) to understand their friends or family who fall under the trans umbrella. I especially love that the book ends with a short guide to some key Trans related terminology.

This was a fantastic book. There's so much I love about it. For trans kids, this provides a great narrative of a trans kid who finds happiness in their transition and could be a great conversation starter if you suspect your child may be transgender. The use of the dysphoria "monster" provided a great visual and was a great depiction for helping kids name and deal with dysphoria. On the flip side, this is also a great resource for cis kids (and adults!) to help them understand what a trans kid may be feeling on the inside. Overall this was a wonderful and fantastic book. I recommend it to everyone, kids and adults alike.

Such a beautifully illustrated book that does an AMAZING job talking about body dysphoria and transitioning in a way young children can easily understand and relate with. I will be buying this one for sure and hope it becomes a must read in schools! Absolutely loved it!! Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance review copy!

CW: Misgendering, detailed descriptions of gender dysphoria

As a trans man, I wish I had this book as a kid. It is so important and great to have books like this for trans kids. This follows a trans girl experiencing gender dysphoria and how she helps reduce it by socially transitioning. For Nisha, her gender dysphoria is a monster that won't go away. I love the way the author explained gender dysphoria because it really illustrated how it's experienced by showing Nisha in social settings.

I love the way the monster was illustrated and how simple this explains gender dysphoria for kids. I also love the FAQ for parents at the end. It's super detailed! This is a must-read for trans people and parents of trans kids. You'll learn a lot, especially how to go about your kid coming out to you. The author states to give them affirming care, which I 100% agree with.

I will be ordering myself a copy of this!

Love love loved this!

The artwork is stunning. The way everything starts dark but gets brighter as soon as Nisha is able to put into words how she feels after meeting another trans person - it’s beautiful and heartwarming and everything trans kids deserve.

This isn’t just for kids though - it also has an “Adult’s Guide” in the back with “useful terminology and explanations.”

The only thing that took away from the experience was the formatting of my ARC - some sentences looked wonky, and other times letters or words were completely missing, so I had to try to figure out what it was saying.

Huge thank you to Netgalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for letting me have an ARC of this!

This is such a cute age appropriate read. I read it out loud to my nephew and he absolutely loved it. The illustrations are absolutely stunning.

This book was absolutely beautiful and adorable! I was attracted to the art style of the cover and wasn't disappointed with the colorful dynamic drawings of Hui Qing Ang! The story by Laura Kate Dale was quick and would be easy to keep the attention of a child. The illustrations matched and enhanced the story told really well. I loved seeing Nisha's character grow in confidence as she expressed her true self.

I thought the Adult Guide at the back was a great addition. Education is the best way to bring people forward.

Thanks to Jessica Kingsley Publishers and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

What can I even say right now?? I just finished reading this story and my heart is SO FULL. It’s a beautiful story, and I only wish it had existed when I was a child. I am nonbinary, and I can relate to Nisha feeling smaller and smaller as time went on and she kept being unintentionally misgendered. Just like Nisha, though, I spoke to someone older in the queer community, and that really helped me understand myself. Nisha’s journey is beautiful, powerful, and I’m happy she had the support she needed early on.

This is entirely new territory to me, “children’s book” wise. I’ve read stories in my classroom around gay and lesbian families. I’ve even read stories about children who are more flamboyant than others. But to have a story outright include language and directly address a character being trans? It’s bold - and I love it! This will be a controversial addition to our bookshelf, but I will fight for it every step of the way. At the very least, it should be in Kindergarten classrooms everywhere!

The art was absolutely beautiful, and watching the art get progressively darker during the first half of the book truly added to the feeling of being overwhelmed. I have nothing but praise for Hui Qing Ang, and will be keeping an eye out for more art by them (support their art by buying prints!)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book!

I loved Me and My Dysphoria Monster. I think it will help children understand what gender dysphoria is and it gives tools on how to cope with it. Thus, this is an important picture book, almost like a self-help book. I hope that many trans children will benefit from this book. I hope that they won't suffer a lot from their dysphoria monsters.

I would recommend this picture book especially if you know trans or nonbinary people/children.

A wonderful, amazing book of resources for children wanting to learn about dysphoria. I've seen lots of books recently for transgender children, but this book goes into more detail and is the first book to use the word dysphoria to describe the feelings, which I absolutely love! It has beautiful illustrations and lots of detail and information for children.

I received an ARC of this ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a wonderful book! And such beautiful illustrations. This book provides a great explanation about gender dysphoria that both children and adults can understand. I would love to have this book displayed in my library for Pride month.

This book was incredible. Firstly, the illustrations are beautiful which is something I always look for with a children's book (does that make me shallow?). Secondly, and most importantly, the message and the way that message is handled is incredible and important and long overdue within children's books. Children learn from us, as their parents, and from the things we tell them and the books we read them. If you are a parent that has not suffered gender dysphoria but feel your child might be, a book such as this is a great tool to educate yourself and try to explain to your child what is happening to them. The further reading list as well as the glossary and Q&A section are incredible and a very important part of this book. Overall, I think this book has been a long time coming and our children will thank you for it but until then, thank you from me ♡

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you thank you thank you to Laura Kate Dale for writing this book! What a valuable resource for adults to have. This will help all children (and many adults) better understand gender dysphoria. Using child friendly, and accurate, vocabulary will help children label what they might be feeling. This book will also help children who may have friends or classmates that are experiencing gender dysphoria. A wonderful book that should be included in all libraries - home and school!

I received an advanced reader copy of Me and My Dysphoria Monster by Laura Kate Dale in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. The illustrations were so beautiful and the meaning really touched my heart. I'm so happy that there are more and more books like this for kids and parents to read and discuss with one another. Nisha is such a wonderful character and to see her truly flourish into who she is meant to be made me tear up. I would gladly recommend this book to any parent that has a kid that needs help understanding their body/gender dysmorphia.

I cannot wait to grab a physical copy when the book is published. Thank you so much Laura Kate Dale for such an amazing book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for providing an e-ARC of this title for me to read and review. This is a phenomenal book and every child (and adult, for that matter) would benefit to read it. This book does a wonderful job as a first foray into examining gender dysphoria that a child may be having (through the lens of a child, with added adult guidance), and also works well as a guide for kids who may know someone in their life going through similar feelings and situations. The artwork is really lovely, and enhances the storytelling - of how a feeling can be a monster even if nobody else sees it - in a familiar way kids already understand. Our main character is never deadnamed or misgendered throughout the story - and this is intentionally outlined at the end so parents get a second understanding for why that's critical. There is a resource guide at the end for adults that does a great job offering up important terminology with simple definitions/use-cases so parents can support their children best and generally be a better support system in the world.

I got an ARC of this book.

The art is gorgeous. I loved the way dysphoria was made into a monster and was able to bee seen. I am a sucker for a physical manifestation of big feelings. So having it in a kids book with the expanse of colors that kids books come in was perfect for me.

The story itself was about a kid learning about her monster and how to handle it. Handling it on her own didn’t work all the time and sometimes little things would make the monster grow. The parents were wonderfully supportive. Actually helping their kid find other trans people. Seeing an adult trans person still struggle with dysphoria was one of my favorite parts. Just because someone transitions doesn’t mean their dysphoria is gone forever. I loved how the monster would grow and shrink as things happened. It really fit how dysphoria has always worked in my life.

If I had this book as a kid my life would have been different. Imagine having the words for your feelings so freely available. I am so glad this book exists. It is not perfect, but it is a huge step forward. I am hoping there is a sequel book where the MC meets another trans kid who isn’t dysphoric. It would be amazing to allowed for non-dysphoric kids to get representation too. There are so many places this team could go to really give all trans kids a voice. I am really hoping they continue making books.

This book is about Nisha and her dysphoria monster and we see throughout the story what makes Nisha's monster grow big and the ways she learns to conquer it. I think it's a really good way of introducing gender dysphoria to kids of all genders, but especially for trans kids who might have their own dysphoria monsters and not realize it.

The illustrations were also wonderful, Nisha is adorable and the looming sense of her monster really helps guide the story.

I received an advanced reader copy of Me and My Dysphoria Monster by Laura Kate Dale in exchange for an honest review.

When I first heard about Me and My Dysphoria Monster I was eager to read it, then I became even more excited about it when I realized it was written by Laura Kate Dale. I’ve read some of her grown-up work and I really like her writing. Me and My Dysphoria Monster is “an empowering story to help children cope with gender dysphoria.” The book does an excellent job at this mission. In very few words the author managed to convey this complex subject in a way young kids could understand. This book will do an incredible job at helping young transgender children to understand their experiences and how to express them to the people in their lives.

Me and My Dysphoria Monster is illustrated by Hui Qing Ang. The art style of this book is magnificent! Our protagonist Nisha is just adorable, and her dysphoria monster is looming and ominous without being too scary.

This book also comes with a reading guide for adults, providing a list of definitions for trans-related terminology, and answers some questions for the grown-ups in trans children’s lives. This will be a helpful resource for parents, guardians, families, teachers, and other caregivers, especially if they are new to learning about transgender people.

I am thrilled that this book has been written and I look forward to grabbing a copy for all the children in my life! Thank you NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the advanced reader copy.