Books for Every Child

Peter J Roth
Some of the books in this list are about families with same sex parents,
some of them are about weddings, or the struggle to be your true self, or
even just knowing who your true self is. Some of these books are about
real life figures who’ve fought for LGBTQAI+ rights or who’ve set an
example of how to embrace who you are. Some of the characters in these
books are adults, some are historical figures, others are stuffed teddy
bears, enthusiastic worms, or frustrated crayons. Many of the characters
in these books are children.

Although these books cover a wide variety of issues about various people
and things, one thing that can be said about all of these books is that they
are wonderful and appropriate for all children. By reading or having
these books read to them, children will learn compassion for others and
for themselves. They will learn that love is love and that everyone around
them, including themselves, is deserving of love, respect, and human
dignity. I hope that after reading these books yourselves, you will agree.

Peter J. Roth – LIS 61095

 Fantasy

Peter J. Roth – LIS 61095

Worm Loves Worm
Written by J.J. Austrian & Illustrated by Mike Curato
Balzer + Bray, 2016. Picture Book
Ages: 4 – 6

Worm loves Worm, so they decide they should be married. The cricket tells them they
will need someone to marry them, because that’s how it’s always done. They also need
a best beetle, bride’s bees, rings, a cake, and a dress, because that’s how it’s always
been done. When they BOTH want to be the bride and the groom, they’re told that
that’s NOT how it’s always been done. So Worm and Worm decide to change how it’s
always been done, and without any more fuss, they are married.

J.J. Austrian’s story celebrates the love between two individuals and the love between
them and their friends. His words are enthusiastic and matter-of-fact. Mike Curato’s
characters are drawn on white pages without background so that the focus remains on
Worm and Worm and their friends as they prepare for their wedding. This book is all
about enthusiasm. Their friends suggestions about how things are always done aren’t
meant to slow down the worms, but to affirm their friends’ enthusiasm and their
desire to be part of their special day. And when Worm and Worm choose to break
convention there is no resistance, just love and support.

This book is excellent for teaching the universality of love and how people should react
to all forms of love, which is with enthusiasm and support.

Peter J. Roth – LIS 61095

The Straight Line Wonder
Written by Mem Fox & Illustrated by Marc Rosenthal
Mondo, 1997. Picture Book
Ages: 4 – 6

A strait line can’t stand being straight any longer and begins to jump in humps, twirl
in whirls, point his joints, and creep in heaps. His friends are scandalized and tell him
he needs to be a straight line before abandoning him. A film director is dazzled by this
straight line who cannot stay straight and puts him in films. He becomes “The Straight
Line Wonder” and his fame wins him back the admiration of his friends.

At first this seems like a cute story about the benefits of being yourself and embracing
your uniqueness. The dichotomy between the strait lines and a line who cannot keep
straight is an obvious allegory for the way gay individuals are often ostracized by their
friends and family for not just hiding what they are inside. Mem Fox’s story is told
with energy and humor and Marc Rosenthal’s pictures are light and funny; a world
filled with straight lines wearing hats.

No doubt this story’s themes and message were radical when it was first published
twenty years ago, but even then it came with the troubling message that expressing
yourself is only valuable when you get external validation. The line’s friends abandon
him and it’s only after he gains fame that they decide his individuality is actually
something worth celebrating. When sharing this book with children, be sure to
include a conversation praising the line for his courage and discussing how his friends
should have embraced him from the beginning and not after he’d become a movie
star.

Peter J. Roth – LIS 61095

Red: A Crayon’s Story
Written & Illustrated by Michael Hall
Greenwillow Books, 2015. Picture Book
Ages: 4 – 6

No matter how hard Red tries to color fire engines or strawberries, he can only ever
make them blue. His teacher thinks he just needs practice, his grandparents think
maybe he isn’t warm enough, the tape thinks maybe he’s broken inside. Red is finally
asked by a friend to draw a blue ocean. Red finally realizes that despite being labeled
red, he is actually blue and from then on the sky is the limit for him. Michael Hall’s
drawings mimic the simple drawings of children playing with paper and crayons.

Hall has written a charming allegory about being transgender. Child readers will
recognize immediately that the problem isn’t with Red, but instead with the characters
around him who insist he conform to his label rather than who he is inside. This book
is a valuable tool for teaching children to not adhere to labels but to trust and love
what is inside a person instead.

Peter J. Roth – LIS 61095

From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea
Written by Kai Cheng Thom & Illustrated by Wai-Yant Li & Kai Yun Ching
Arsenal Pulp Press, 2017. Picture Book
Ages: 4 - 8

Miu Lan is born in a blue house on a hill, but it doesn’t know if it wants to be a boy or
a girl, a bird or a fish, a tree or a star. They grow into a strange, magical child who is a
bird in the morning, a fish in the afternoon, and a puppy in the evening. On their first
day of school, Miu Lan grows a peacock’s tail and tiger stripes, but the other children
tease them and pull their feathers. Miu Lan’s mother admits she doesn’t know how to
make the other children like them, but that she will always love her child and knows
they can be whatever they wish. Miu Lan returns to school and teaches the other
children to sparkle, to fly, an to be whatever they want to be.

Kai Cheng Thom weaves a poetic story which feels more like an ancient, newly
discovered fairytale rather than a modern picture book. Miu Lan is a primordial child
out of myth, and Wai-Yant Li and Kai Yun Ching’s watercolors pull the reader into
their world. When they are safe at home, expressing themselves as they wish, Miu Lan
swims in rich blues and violets. When they stamp out their individuality and try to fit
in, their world becomes empty whitespace.

This book is excellent for teaching young children to cherish what makes themselves
and their friends different. In deciding to call Miu Lan “they,” Thom acknowledges the
importance of learning and respecting each other’s pronouns. Children come in many
different shades of color in this book which champions diversity and celebrates self-
expression.

Peter J. Roth – LIS 61095

Introducing Teddy
Written by Jessica Walton & Illustrated by Dougal MacPherson
Bloomsbury, 2016. Picture Book
Ages: 4 – 8

Errol and his teddy bear Thomas are best friends. They do everything from riding
their bike, to having tea parties when it’s raining. But Thomas is sad because all this
time Thomas has felt like a girl teddy, not a boy and wants to be called Tilly from now
on. Errol accepts Tilly for who she is and they celebrate by having a tea party with
their friend Ava and her robot.

As advertised, this is a gentle story about unconditional love and friendship. Despite
Tilly’s worries, Errol accepts her for who she is without question. This is a valuable
lesson for children who need to learn that they deserve to be loved for who they are
and that they should love others the same. Dougal MacPherson’s pictures are simple,
almost childlike, but their soft palette and informal look convey the gentleness of the
story and focus on the characters who are all tender and kind to each other.

Alas for racial diversity though, all the human characters in this book are white.

Peter J. Roth – LIS 61095

Realistic Fiction

Peter J. Roth – LIS 61095

Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress
Written by Christine Baldacchino & Illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant
Groundwood Books, 2014 Picture Book
Ages: 5 – 8

Morris Micklewhite likes painting and puzzles and singing the loudest in school. More
than anything, he loves the tangerine dress in his school’s dress-up center because it
reminds him of tigers and his mother’s hair. The other kids do not like that Morris
wears the tangerine dress and refuse to play with him. Morris stops liking school and
stays home. He dreams about tigers that fit on his hand and of seeing elephants in
space. Morris returns to school and builds his own spaceship and paints a picture of
his dream. He lets some of the kids play in his spaceship. The kids who play with
Morris become his friends and no longer care what he wears.

Christine Baldacchino’s story shows empathy for a child who’s bullied for refusing to
conform to gender norms, and in some ways it is an honest portrayal of the limits of a
loving and understanding home-life. Morris’s mother accepts his gender fluidity and
even paints his nails, but she can’t protect him from the disapproval of his peers. Even
when Morris finds friends to accept him, there remain some kids who don’t, but by
identifying allies, he is given confidence. Isabelle Malenfant maintains a muted palette
for most of the book, allowing the tangerine dress to stand out on every page. The
dress comes to represent all the color and beauty that Morris looks for in his life.

This book should be shared with children to teach them about kindness and
acceptance of difference. Children questioning their gender identity may see
themselves not just in Morris’s desires, but in his struggle to be accepted. Gender
conforming children will want to see themselves in the characters who embrace
Morris and hopefully reject the prejudice of the children who continue to resent him.

Although a lovely book, with the exception of some of Morris classmates, this book
doesn’t have much diversity beyond LQBTQ+ positivity.

Peter J. Roth – LIS 61095

The Flower Girl Wore Celery
Written by Meryl G. Gordon & Illustrated by Holly Clifton-Brown
Kar-Ben Publishing 2016. Picture Book
Ages: 5 – 8

When asked to be the flower girl at her cousin Alex’s wedding, Emma assumes she’s
being asked to dress up as a flower. A lot of grown-up stuff is confusing for Emma.
Instead of a color, she thinks her dress will be made of celery, and she assumes the boy
carrying the rings for the wedding will be a ring bear. She’s also surprised to discover
that her cousin’s wedding will have two brides, but what’s not confusing to her is that
the brides love each other and everything about their wedding is wonderful.

Meryl G. Gordon’s story is sweet with humor based on charming misunderstandings.

Even though some of her mistakes are silly, Emma’s family never makes her feel
embarrassed, kindly explaining things to her. Holly Clifton-Brown’s illustrations are
softly drawn and colored to emphasize the lovely atmosphere surrounding Emma and
her cousin's wedding. This is a good book for teaching children that same sex couples
are normal and worth celebrating.

With the exception of some background characters, this book is predominantly white,
though the family is Jewish, allowing for some religious diversity.

Peter J. Roth – LIS 61095

The Family Book
Written & Illustrated by Todd Parr
Little, Brown and Company 2003. Picture Book
Ages: 2 – 4

Todd Parr describes the various ways families can be different from large families to
small families, families with two moms or two dads or a mom and a dad or even only
one parent, loud families and quiet families. What all these families have in common
is that they are filled with love.

Parr uses simple words and childlike drawings using basic shapes and bright colors to
show the diversity of different kinds of families. At first his pictures seem almost too
simple, too loudly colored, but they are perfect for capturing the attention of young
eyes and the book’s readers will feel confident that they can also capture their family
in a similar drawing of their own. This book will be useful for teaching children that
whatever their family’s makeup, it is as valid and as loving as any other.

Peter J. Roth – LIS 61095

Julián is a Mermaid
Written & Illustrated by Jessica Love
Candlewick Press, 2018. Picture Book
Ages: 4 – 99

Using minimal dialogue and beautiful, expressive watercolors, Jessica Love tells the
story of Julián, a little boy who loves mermaids. After visiting the community pool,
Julián sees a group of women dressed as mermaids and tells his abuela that he wants
to be a mermaid too. While his abuela takes a bath, Julián plays dress-up and becomes
a mermaid. Rather than be mad, his abuela takes him to a colorful festival to show off
his costume.

This is a beautiful story about the desire for transformation and the unconditional
love and acceptance of a caregiver for a child. Love leaves it open to interpretation as
to where Julián falls in his gender fluidity, but she is explicit about his abuela’s
steadfast love and support for her grandson.

Love’s paintings are dynamic, capturing the transcendent beauty of self-expression.

Children will love these illustrations for their color and energy, adults will love them
as phenomenal works of art. Not only does this book positively portray gender
bending, it provides positive representations of people of color, a Latinx family, and
intergenerational relationships. Everyone should read this book. Why aren’t you
reading this book right now!?

Peter J. Roth – LIS 61095

Pink is for Boys
Written by Robb Pearlman & Illustrated by Eda Kaban
Running Press Kids, 2018. Picture Book
Ages: 3 – 6

A concept book in which Robb Pearlman subverts the strict gender norms that have
been assigned to colors. On each page he describes how each color is for both girls and
boys as well as those objects that may bear those colors like pink bows, yellow crowns,
green grass, and purple unicorns. Eda Kaban’s illustrations are splendid and richly
painted with a sumptuous palette.

This is a beautiful book which children will enjoy looking at. It contains a positive
message giving permission to kids to love the things they love without fear of strict
gender roles. Each page is filled with kids of various size, color and ability, making it
clear that this book is for all children.

Peter J. Roth – LIS 61095

This Day in June
Written by Gayle E. Pitman & Illustrated by Kristyna Litten
Magination Press, 2014 Picture Book
Ages: 4 - 10

All the excitement and fun of a Pride parade in rhyming couplets by Gayle E. Pitman
and illustrations packed with explosive colors and joyful characters by Kristyna Litten.
A guide in the back of the book provides explanations of how each page ties into gay
culture and Pride celebrations, as well as how to answer questions about sexual
orientation for children of various ages.

Pitman’s rhymes create a sense of building intensity and excitement as the parade
marches by. In some cases her need to create a rhyme wins out over meaningful
expression such as “Sidewalk shaking/ Tummies aching.” The illustration is of a band
and cheerleaders wearing red ribbons and one of the signs being held says “AIDS
awareness.” Even the guide in the back of the book chooses to make this page about
children of gay parents rather than the more obvious subject of HIV/AIDS. Although
HIV/AIDS is a serious subject, it could have been addressed in a way kids could
understand without bringing down the joyful mood of the book. It’s a missed
opportunity here.

Kristyna Litten’s illustrations are packed with activity and vibrant colors. A child can
return to this book again and again to pick out fresh new details. They are a joy to look
at.

This book is ideal for exposing young children to the diverse ways LGBTQ+ culture is
expressed and celebrated. The guide in back is a handy tool for caretakers to explain
various subjects such as sexual orientation, gender identity, and self-expression to
children of all ages. This book also presents excellent racial diversity, many of the
characters being people of color.

Peter J. Roth – LIS 61095

Stella Brings the Family
Written by Miriam B. Schiffer & Illustrated by Holly Clifton-Brown
Chronicle Books, 2015 Picture Book
Ages: 4 – 7

When her teacher announces that their class will be having a Mother’s Day
celebration, Stella is troubled by the fact that she has no mother to bring; she has two
dads. Her Papa and Daddy suggest that she bring all her caretakers, including her
aunt and uncle, grandparents and cousin. In the end, her experience is positive, and
the party is a hit.

Miriam B. Schiffer presents a little girl surrounded by many loving caretakers that
extend beyond her fathers. In this way she expresses the fact that not only is family
defined by children and their parents, but by all the people who fill their lives with
love and care. Holly Clifton-Brown’s illustrations are filled with gentle characters and
colorful, cartoon-like illustrations. Although a number of Stella’s friends are African-
American and Asian-American, she and her family are white.

This book provides a good lesson about the undue anxiety that seemingly innocuous
situations can cause for children from various backgrounds. This book can teach
children to cherish what makes them and their families different. It can serve to
inform adults about how they need to consider inclusiveness when organizing family
and school events.

Peter J. Roth – LIS 61095

Charlie & Mouse
Written by Laurel Snyder & Illustrated by Emily Hughes
Chronicle Books, 2017. Easy Reader
Ages: 6 - 8

This early reader presents a day in the life of two brothers, Charlie & Mouse. In four
short segments they wake up their household, organize an impromptu party at the
playground, collect rocks from neighbors’ yards for money to buy ice cream, and have
an all-important bedtime banana before going to bed.

Laurel Snyder’s stories are charming and funny. Young readers will enjoy following
Charlie & Mouse on their adventures. Emily Hughes’ pictures are cute snapshots of an
ordinary community made wondrous through the eyes of its children. The boys come
from a multi-ethnic household and they defy gender norms with Mouse wearing a tutu
and Charlie a princess hat. Their community is filled with diverse children and adults
of Asian, African, and European descent, as well as a gay couple whose presence as
such is not remarked upon. This is an excellent book for normalizing racial and gender
diversity for children.

Peter J. Roth – LIS 61095

Non-fiction

Peter J. Roth – LIS 61095

 I Am Jazz
Written by Jessica Herthel & Jazz Jennings & Illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas
Dial Books for Young Readers, 2014. Biographical Picture Book
Ages: 5 – 9

Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings tell the story of Jazz’s early childhood and how she
came to understand that she is transgender. Together they present a happy, well-
adjusted child surrounded by understanding, loving family members. Herthel and
Jennings explain Jazz’s experience and her identification as transgender in simple
language which is easy for children to understand. Shelagh McNicholas fills the pages
with friendly faces which express the joy that being herself brings to Jazz and the
people around her.

This book doesn’t get into the real dangers faced by transgender people, and how
lucky Jazz is to have a family as open and loving as hers, but that can wait for when its
target audience is older. This book teaches children that being transgender is normal
and may give those who are questioning their gender the language and courage to put
a name to their feelings. For cisgender children, this book will teach them to love and
celebrate any transgender friends they may have. Most of the characters in this book
are white, though some of Jazz’s friends and teachers are presented as people of color.

Peter J. Roth – LIS 61095

Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag
Written by Rob Sanders & Illustrated by Steven Salerno
Random House, 2018 Historical Non-fiction Picture Book
Ages: 5 – 9

Rob Sanders tells the story of Harvey Milk, his dream of equal rights for gay
women and men, his election to office, and his spurring Gilbert Baker to
design the first Pride Flag. Sanders keeps the information in this book very
simple, avoiding messy historical details in favor of broad strokes about
major events in Milk’s life such as his run for office, the creation of the Pride
Flag, and his assassination.

Almost as if complementing Sanders’ broad strokes, Steven Salerno’s

pictures are richly detailed, including paisley flower patterns in the
background of his richly colored, detailed illustrations detailing events from
Milk’s life.

Although about a white historical figure, the book could have done more to
highlight the contributions made to the gay rights movement by people of
color. Most of the background characters in this book are white. Despite
that, this is a good primer for parents and educators who want to introduce
young children to the history of the gay rights movement without dwelling
too long on more frightening subjects like assassination and AIDS.

Peter J. Roth – LIS 61095

Books for Every
Young Adult
Peter J Roth Adolescence is a borderland at which young people are crossing over from
innocence and the shelter of their parents into individuals who crave independence
and chase after inevitable stumbles. Like all borderlands, it comes with certain
dangers such as the possibility of heartbreak, or life shattering mistakes, but it also
presents young people with opportunities and experience which will fill their lives
with exuberance, joy, and wonder. Things like a first love, discovering new passions
and talents, and the beginnings of new, important friendships. Young adulthood is
the blank page upon which young people begin writing the story of who they are for
themselves.

The five books below capture the lives of various young people, teens and twenty-
somethings, who are all struggling to find their place. Some of them struggle with
family, some bullies, some even with cursed roses or alien abductions.

These books are all excellent stories about crossing that borderland between
childhood and adulthood into an undiscovered country of selfhood.

Peter J. Roth – LIS 61095

Graphic Novels

Peter J. Roth – LIS 61095

Calling Dr. Laura
Written & Illustrated by Nicole J Georges
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Co, 2013. Memoir
Ages: 15 +

Nicole J George grew up thinking her father was dead until a palm reader
tells her that he’s alive. George’s life is filled with secrets; she’s still in the
closet with her mother, she suspects her girlfriend is cheating on her, and
she’s having a difficult time admitting to herself that she needs to change
these things. On a whim, she calls Dr. Laura, the conservative, anti-
feminist, talk radio host for advice. Dr. Laura tells her to bury the past and
not tell her mom that she knows the truth about her father. She’s relieved
to have called Dr. Laura, but the advice doesn’t help in the long run and
finally, when the time is right, she and her mother confront the truth.

George’s book is sweet and melancholy. She breaks the story up into
flashbacks and scenes explaining how she met the various people in her
life such as her current and ex-girlfriend, and her memories growing up
with a man who abused her mother and the anxiety she suffered from this.
George uses black and white illustrations which are more cartoonish for
her childhood memories and more realistic for events from her adult life.
These more cartoonish scenes highlight the fact that these are the
memories of a child, unaware of the meaning of her experiences.

Although her relationship with her mother is strained, it never breaks, and
it’s clear that although she still copes with anxiety from her youth, George
has successfully navigated the pitfalls of growing up. She is part of a
community of artists and friends. It’s an important message to young
people that life can be difficult, but worthwhile. Although this book is a
wonderful memoir which includes the struggle of coming out, it does lack
diversity since George and the people around her are predominately white.

Peter J. Roth – LIS 61095

As the Crow Flies
Written & Illustrated by Melanie Gillman
Iron Circus Comics, 2017. Realistic Fiction
Ages: 12+

Charlie is a young person of color struggling with their sexual orientation

and gender identity. Despite some trepidation, they have joined a
predominately white, Christian backpacking retreat to a sacred mountain.
Charlie struggles with microaggressions from the councilor and
campmates, and wonders if they made a mistake. But they befriend
Sydney, a transgender girl who’s struggling with similar issues of feeling
accepted. They decide they will disrupt the religious ceremony meant to
celebrate their journey’s completion. Instead, they bond with another
camper and come to their own conclusions about God and spirituality.

Melanie Gillman has written a wonderful story about struggling with one’s
faith and trying to find one’s place in a religious tradition. It becomes clear
that this religious camp is somewhat left-leaning, but that the councilors
who organize it are still blinded by their own privilege and prejudice. In
the end Charlie and Sydney realize that everyone on the trip with them is
wrestling with God and being accepted in some way. Gillman’s story is
ultimately about being compassionate and kind and trying to find the
divine in one’s self and in the world around you. Her illustrations are
beautifully detailed colored pencil. She uses multiple panels and pages of
landscape details which create sense of awe for the natural world and
establishes pacing and passage of time.

Although Charlie’s peer’s are exclusively white, the reader is exposed to

Charlie’s struggle with their racial identify as much as their gender and
sexual identity. This is an excellent book for any young person coming to
grips with who they are, which is just about every young person.

Peter J. Roth – LIS 61095

Gumballs
Written & Illustrated by Erin Nations
Top Shelf Productions, 2018. Non-fiction
Ages: 15+

A collection of comics by Erin Nations about growing up as one of three

triplets and his transition from female to male. Nations’ book is filled with
everyday episodes from his life, some having to do with his transition and
many of them not. Although each episode is independent and random, the
book does follow him as he begins hormonal treatment. He informs the
reader about how testosterone has changed his body, his feelings about
coming out, his fears about being outed, and how transitioning has
affected his feelings about male privilege and how people treat one
another.

Gumballs is filled with charming characters and funny encounters.

Although some of what Nations writes about can be troubling, such as
street harassment when he still presented as female, and transphobia and
fear of violence, he remains upbeat and optimistic. Nations’ draws his
characters with exaggerated, blocky features and wild colors that capture
the uniqueness of Nations and the people in his life, as well as the joy he
feels in expressing his true self.

Young people questioning their gender identity will take comfort and learn
valuable information about what the transitioning process is like. For
cisgender people, this book will provide valuable insight and education
about the trans experience. Although some characters may be people of
color, Nations and most of the people he writes about are white.

Peter J. Roth – LIS 61095

Novels

Peter J. Roth – LIS 61095

We Are the Ants
Written by Shaun David Hutchinson
Simon Pulse, 2016. Science Fiction
Ages: 14+

It has been a terrible year for Henry Denton. He blames himself for his boyfriend
Jessie’s suicide, their best friend Audry disappeared soon after and they haven’t
spoken since, he can’t stop himself from having meaningless sex with the same boy
who is his primary bully at school, his Nana’s mind is being stolen by Alzheimer's, and
his jerk brother’s girlfriend is pregnant. Oh, and Henry also keeps getting abducted by
aliens who may or may not blow up Earth, which only he can stop.

With all the lousy stuff in his life, Henry doesn’t know if he wants to prevent Earth’s
destruction. It’s easier to accept the world will end rather than cope with his world
burning around him. But Henry makes a new friend Diago, and soon he and Audrey
are speaking again, and his jerk brother can sometimes, somehow, not be a jerk. And
maybe, just maybe, the world is worth saving after all.

Sean David Hutchinson’s writing drips with all the sarcasm and jadedness of a teenage
boy who’s having a crap time in life. The opening chapter is deliciously pulpy and fast-
paced. The descriptions of Henry’s abduction eases the reader into the much more
dire subjects of bullying and suicide.

This book is valuable in its positive LGBTQ depiction. Although Henry’s love for Jessie
is a driving factor in this story, their sexual orientation is not a major issue. Henry’s
friends and family—even his troglodyte brother who blames him for their father
leaving—accept his sexual orientation as natural and normal. Readers get to enjoy the
story of a young gay man who doesn’t struggle with his sexuality.

He just struggles with the fate of the world.

Peter J. Roth – LIS 61095

When the Moon Was Ours
Written by Anna-Marie McLemore
Thomas Dunne Books, 2016. Fantasy
Ages: 14+

When a small farming town demolishes its old water tower, a girl emerges from the water screaming
that she’s lost the moon. She is calmed by Samir who recently arrived in town with his mother. The
two become inseparable friends, and as teenagers they become lovers. The girl, Miel, is afflicted with
a curse which causes roses to blossom from her wrist. The town believes that she and her adopted
caretaker Aracely are witches and that Miel can use her roses to make people fall in love or to curse
them. When the four Bonner sisters learn that Sam is transgender, they threaten to out him if Miel
doesn’t start giving them her roses so that they may continue making all the boys in town love them.
As their love becomes strained, Sam and Miel’s secrets are revealed.

Anna-Marie McLemore’s magical realism has crafted a world that is part rural America and part
primordial myth. Sam paints and hangs moon luminaries all over town so that Miel will never lose
the moon again. The Bonner sisters keep a stained glass coffin in the woods to punish Miel—and
perhaps preserve their magical beauty? The townsfolk are at once closed-minded and transphobic,
but also whimsical in how they protect little flowers from the water tower’s destruction, and celebrate
their harvest by sending lit carved pumpkins floating down the river.

Metaphors and similes jostle and trip over each other in McLemore’s pages, which are packed with
dreamlike imagery. Although this creates a lovely, poetic quality, it sometimes feels like the narrator
is being coy, promising to answer mysteries before pulling back, which becomes tiresome. The
mystical language is best when it’s used to describe the tenderness of the characters’ hearts and their
feelings for each other rather than when it’s trying to lay down mysteries.

This book provides a nuanced, tender look at love between a girl and a transgender boy. It celebrates
the fact that love in all its forms is magical and transformational. This book also presents good
diversity; Miel and Aracely are Latinx and Samir and his mother are Pakistani. Their struggle with
racism is also a component in this book.