Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl?

Sarah Savage author Fox Fisher illustrator

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Published:18th May '17

£12.99

Available to order, but very limited on stock - if we have issues obtaining a copy, we will let you know.

Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl? cover

An illustrated storybook to help children aged 3+ talk about gender and identity creatively

Tiny prefers not to tell other children whether they are a boy or girl. Tiny also loves to play fancy dress, sometimes as a fairy and sometimes as a knight in shining armour. Tiny's family don't seem to mind but when they start a new school some of their new classmates struggle to understand.

'A lovely, sensitive, much-needed book that helps all children ask the big questions about identity and gender.' - Juno Dawson, author of This Book is Gay

Tiny loves costumes! Tiny likes to dress up as an animal, or a doctor, or a butterfly. Tiny also prefers not to tell other children whether they are a boy or a girl. Tiny's friends don't mind, but when Tiny starts a new school their new friends can't help asking one question:

"Tiny, are you a boy or are you a girl?"

This brightly illustrated book will open a dialogue with children aged 3+ about gender diversity in a fun and creative way. Featuring a gender neutral protagonist, the book imparts an important message about identity and being who you want to be. Tiny's story will assist parents, family and teachers in giving children the space to express themselves fully, explore different identities and have fun at the same time.

When a child selects a book and sees someone like themselves within its pages, they know they are not alone. It is a seemingly small gesture, to us grownups, that enables a child to feel safe and secure. This breezy and beautifully illustrated book describes gender in playful, innocent terms, allowing children the space to discover themselves and to explore their surroundings joyfully. A must for any library. -- Juno Roche, writer and campaigner
A lovely, sensitive, much-needed book that helps all children ask the big questions about identity and gender. -- Juno Dawson, author of 'This Book is Gay'
Books on gender identity for young children are still very few and far between. Children who do not identify as boys or girls will find Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl? immensely reassuring. It will be extremely valuable too in schools, in families, and in other settings - for helping young children understand gender diversity and question gender stereotypes. At the end there are a number of useful discussion starters, for example 'Does it matter if Tiny is a boy or a girl?' and 'What would you ask Tiny if you met them?', followed by information about organisations that provide support on gender identity issues. A sensitive and important book, written by campaigners for transgender rights. -- Anne Harding * The School Librarian, School Library Association *
The real value for children and parents in this book stems from its simplicity, it puts the story across in a grounded manner and invites open discussion. The authors, Fox Fisher and Sarah Savage have collaborated to produce what I feel is an amazing book. -- Sophie Smallman * Being Sophie blog *
The creators introduce a serious theme in an accessible and fun way. Questions at the back of the book can prompt productive discussion about many aspects of gender. I recommend this for personal and classroom libraries. -- Raise Them Righteous

The interesting thing about this picture book is that we never discover which gender Tiny is and that it isn't important to the story.

A good story about a difficult subject to address in schools.

-- Savage, Sarah and Fisher, Fox * healthyBooks *

ISBN: 9781785922671

Dimensions: 287mm x 221mm x 9mm

Weight: 338g

32 pages