This sweet book uses an unique premise to discuss confidence in one's identity.

The story is about a Trans youngster, who has chosen her own name, Atara, which means crown. She always wears a crown everywhere so that people will know that she is a girl. Despite the title, this is not really a Purim story. Although the book is set during the holiday, Esther's story is told in just two brief paragraphs when Atara's mom reads her a new Purim book. However, after hearing about Esther, who bravely told people that she was Jewish, Atara compares herself to the queen. They both had a secret about themselves that they revealed to the world. This book is a beautiful way to instill self confidence for LGBT children or any youngster who is worried that they may not be accepted for who they really are.

I am in love with this book. I love that this steps beyond the typical Purim book and encourages everyone to embody the power of Queen Ester.
I also love the diversity in the story and transgender representation!!

Atara is a young girl who wears a crown. One night before bed, her mom reads her a book about a special queen in history, Queen Esther. Queen Esther was a Jewish woman in a time when Jews were in captivity and met with hostility. The story of Esther can be found in the Bible. After Atara hears the story, she is mesmerized by Esther's life. Her school puts on a play based on the Jewish holiday of Purim through this, Atara will soon learn a lot about herself in this engaging children's story.

I read this book to my 11-year-old daughter, who was already familiar with the book of Esther who was already familiar with the book of Esther in the Bible, and she enjoyed it. She thought the illustrations were nice, and the story held her attention. She gave this book a sign of approval. This book is a nice introduction to Purim and the story of Esther. Young girls can relate to Atara and Queen Esther.
Thank you, NetGalley, for this arc.

I normally don’t research the background of a book, but I especially haven’t ever had to research the intent behind a children’s book. I had to with Just Like Queen Esther. When I first did a read through of the book something just felt off to me. Maybe because the headlines were talking about the real crisis facing transgender youth in the United States. The applause and acceptance that Atara receives is fiction and the book is listed on NetGalley as being non-fiction.

I took a break from the book. I came back to it about three weeks later and I received the book differently. For us in the United States, our world is changing daily again and kids will need a Queen Esther to keep them going in the days ahead.

Just Like Queen Esther is bright yellow and that theme is continued throughout the book. The illustrations by Ren Yehud Newman are simplistic. The text and story are easy to understand. It is a quick read with a simple message.

Simple, but cute. I feel like it could have leaned a bit more into the Queen Esther story. However, I loved the ending and I think this was a nice book for kids. The additional crown coloring page was lovely as well.

This is such a cute and sweet read about a little trans girl who comes out to her mum.
I love that this book exists, and I hope many little trans kids find joy in it.

Just Like Queen Esther is about a young transgirl's experience finding comfort in a traditional Jewish story. A compassionate tale that encourages a friendly relationship between the LGBTQ+ and Jewish communities, I recommend this story for Jewish families with LGBTQ+ youth, or liberal classrooms that want to increase diversity in their curriculum. This book has a reading level for children ages 5-8, but could be read aloud to younger children. Lastly, this book can establish a safe environment for a young child to feel comfortable telling an adult parent or teacher that they identify as a different gender.

The illustrations of this story celebrate round shapes such as curls, noses, and tutus, with a cartoonish art style that gives extra love to fun childhood fashions, like tutus, crowns, and costume jewelry. Atara is more than just a child who likes to dress as girl - she plays basketball, acts in the school play, and spends time with her mother reading and doing chores, and all these 3-dimensional details are illustrated to emphasize the well-roundedness of the protagonist.

Some sections of this book have a lengthy chunk of text that causes an abrupt shift in pacing. I wish these portions had more illustrations to help reduce the abruptness of the pacing shift. A young reader may reach these full-page portions of text and lose motivation.

Thanks to Ari Moffic, Kerry Olitzky, and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVE THIS BOOK!!! In all honesty, this book reminds me of Drama, but for younger readers. This book is utterly perfect for kids that can or cannot relate to Atara, and my genuine hope is that all kids read this book and adore it as much as I do. Additionally, I love how accepting each character in this book was. It is so wildly important for young and impressionable readers to see characters such as these so that they can mirror them. Lastly (because I have literally nothing bad to say about this book), the illustrations captured the elegance, joy, and beauty of Atara and her story.
Bravo!!!

A wonderful story tackling several tough topics at a level appropriate for any child. This story was sweet and skillfully written.

This is a sweet story of child realizing who they are after reading the story of Queen Ester. It is short but sweet and perfect for small children.

That was so adorable!!! Atara is the sweetest and cutest, and I love the way she believed in herself and her mom did too! Also I always love when there's a book in a book haha!

I love this. It's such a great lesson about being yourself and knowing who you are. I especially loved how she used the crown at first to get confidence until she realized she didn't need it anymore.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

This is a really cute book. I think with all the differences going on in our world in this day and age that this would be a good addition to any kids library! The graphics were super cute and the writing was easy to follow

A sweet story about a trans girl learning to feel confident being herself, while taking inspiration from Queen Esther and the story of Purim. This story is needed, and it includes lessons to be learned both by kids and adults. I hope it will be read widely by Jewish (and non-Jewish) kids and their adults!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book! I am honored to review it.

I was very intrigued by this book, as the main character Atara is a transgender child in a religiously themed book. I was not disappointed!

To start off, the readers are told right away that Atara has named herself. Atara’s mom is very supportive of her daughter, and the way she plays dress up to model Queen Esther, from the Jewish folklore and the Christian Bible. Atara questions if anyone knew Esther’s secret Jewish identity before she revealed herself, and was able to reflect about wether or not her parents knew she was a girl before she revealed herself.

I felt a bit confused as to where the plot was going, and what the takeaways were going to be. I felt like this book could have been edited to be more concise, but I liked how the book ended. Atara was able to go to school without her crown, but people still recognized her as Atara anyway.

Overall, this was a good read.

This adorable story centers a trans girl as she learns about Purim and Queen Esther. It is story of the importance of self-confidence and believing in yourself.

It was nice how the fact that the main character is trans was not the center of the story and was just a fact that related well to the rest of the story.

I think this would resonate well with all sorts of children.

Thank you to Net Galley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the eARC!

Loved the illustrations and the character becoming who she is without her crown. The connection to Queen Esther is not one I would have made, and I appreciated the linking of religion and trans acceptance. This book could encourage kids to learn more about both subjects - always a good thing! Thanks for the eARC!

Not everyone is who they seem, and sometimes how you dress can make you feel more like who you know that you are. Atara knows that she is a girl who looks like a boy, but others only see who she is when she dresses up and wears a lovely crown everywhere she goes. Especially when she is Queen Esther in the play at drama class!
The illustrations by Rena Yehuda Newman are delightful, colorful, and fun!
Well suited for reading WITH someone of ANY age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or your local public library!
I requested and received a temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions provided by Jessica Kingsley Publishers via NetGalley. Thank you! Avail Jan 21, 2025
@RenaYehuda @JKPBooks #QueenEsther #Purim #GenderDysphoria #AriMofficAuthor #KerryOlitzkyAuthor #JewishHero #BiblicalHero

What a lovely book not only about the Jewish holiday of Purim, but the experience of a trans child. Even I feel like I learned something!

What a lovely book not only about the Jewish holiday of Purim, but the experience of a trans child. This story really encapsulates the feeling of queer joy, and finding your truth.

An interesting read for any child!