Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Kids, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky for accepting my request to read and review You Need to Chill!

Published: 05/02/23

Surprise -- is what I was when the point of this children's fiction book was made. Classmates repeatedly ask a girl where her brother is, only to find out he is now identifying as a girl.

This is why I read and put careful thought in before buying a book gift.

"You Need to Chill" is the kind of loving, affirming book that every educator should have in this classroom. Not only does the story make use of rhyming words and repeating storylines (great for young readers and disabled students), this story embraces gender and change in a way that young children can love and understand. When everyone is asking questions, you simply remind them: "You need to chill!"

You Need to Chill!
4.5 Stars

When I first saw the cover art, it was giving me strong Taylor Swift vibes. For example, our main character is wearing sunglasses like T Swift wore in her You need to Calm Down music video. Little did I know how right I would be.


This is a heartfelt book taking on the difficult topic of gender. One day at school, students asked what happened to their brother Bill? The children's imaginations run wild, guessing what fun, scary and horrible fate their brother Bill underwent. Their classmates' stories were quite out there! By the time the reader learns, Bill, my brother, is now Lilly, my sister. It's a pretty normal answer, by comparison.


You Need to Chill! is a cute, funny, and expressive picture book. The illustrations are bright, colorful and hold young children's attention. This book is definitely a story that needs to be told. It introduces and normalizes when young people express their gender. I'd absolutely recommend this book! It's a good way to start this conversation in a non-threatening way (transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse kids). The author does a great job balancing a hard subject matter with a good sense of humor, and the rhythm makes it less intimidating.

Thank you, NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Kids, for providing me with a digital ARC for an honest review.

Wow! This book sets the highest level for young readers’ books that would come in the future!

The book introduces the normality when a young person chooses to express their gender. This is a good book to sensitise very young children regarding transgender/non binary and gender diverse kids.

I love the expressions used. Love the illustrations. Everything is perfect.

Thank you, SOURCEBOOKS Kids, for the advance reading copy.

When the main character’s brother disappears, she reassured curious people that she has a sister now and that people should just chill. This book about a transgender sibling acknowledged that people don’t deserve an explanation and should just be accepting.

I'll be honest. I read the summary and didn't expect the ending, but it wasn't a bad surprise... Just one I didn't expect!

I thought the illustrations were great and chuckled throughout the book at the children's funny suggestions at where Billy was. The story is definitely one that needs to be told and I think the author does this in a beautiful way.

A poignant, refreshing, adorable & completely enjoyable read for youth.
Big Thans to NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!!

This was a fun story that helps young readers understand the idea of transgender people. The kids guessing in the beginning was a fun introduction and the explanation of why he was missing was sweet and sincere.

You Need to Chill! is a lovely introduction to transgender youth by Juno Dawson, and I loved the main character's protective vibe towards her sibling. Thank you to the publisher for my ARC.

I'm not sure that You Need to Chill is the best name for this book. Granted I didn't read the premise before picking up the book but I feel like it could have started in the middle. All the kids guessing where the brother was seemed pointless. I did like the second half though.

This is a great book! I love the way it introduced kids to transgender youth. Plus it has such a good message!

This book provides a great message about acceptance and family. The illustrations are fun and the text engaging. This book could be a great resource for helping educate children on gender identity.

I loved this book. As being an advocate for people to feel comfortable in their own skin, this book is about advocating for someone in your life that is Transgender. This follows a young girl who is being pestered about where her brother is, to which she responds, "You need to chill." Towards the end of the book it comes to light that her brother is really her sister, and goes by a new name. The whole family is very supportive, as is the young girl. This is refreshing perspective for families who might struggle on what to tell their little to respond when asked about their sibling.

Trust Juno Dawson to write such a good illustrated book that tackles just effortlessly the themes of gender identity, transition and trans rep.

A little girl's older brother hasn't been seen in a while. What happened to him? Has he been eaten by a whale? Is he at the zoo? Has he fled to Barbados? No, his name is no longer Billy. The girl now has an older sister whose name is Lucy. And if someone has a problem with that, all they say is <i>Hey, you need to chill!</i>

The illustrations were lovely, the rhymes sometimes forced and a bit on the nose, but all in all they worked well enough and the simplicity with which the author shows how easy and nice it is to accept someone (and ,particularly in this case, their gender identity/transitioning) is so heartwarming and lovely!

"You Need to Chill" by Juno Dawson & illustrated by Laura Hughes is a positive story about setting boundaries for nosey classmates and being open about sharing when ready. A little sister is hit with an onslaught of questions from classmates (with rhyme & rhythm reminiscent of Dr. Seuss) and she tells them to "chill." That is, until she's ready to share the change that explains the whereabouts of her big brother, Bill.

You Need To Chill! by Juno Dawson with illustrations by Laura Hughes is a short, sweet picture book about family, identity and acceptance. With humor and rhymes, it answers the question of what happened to Bill, the main character’s older brother. Spoiler alert: Bill is now Lily, the main character’s sister. Unfortunately, I can see this book being banned. I give it my full support. I loved the illustrations. Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Kids for the ARC.

Exactly right for my six year old granddaughter. What a sweet book with so many lessons wrapped in enjoyable and relatable stories. Children find it so comforting to see through books that everyone goes through the same things, bullies, school, etc. It's so nice to hear it from someone else than Grammy or Mama. Books reify the everyday lore and lead to healing. The illustrations could not be better!

Grab this one for any child you know!

Thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Kids. I do not know what my take is on this book....Are we saying children do not see things? We all see where Bill is....haha.