A great conversation-starter for adults to teach kids about gender and sexuality.
Thank you so much to TBR and Beyond Tours, Elise Gravel, and Mykaell Blais for allowing me to be part of this experience and also providing me with a complimentary ARC and media kit!
Book Information
Publishing Date: March 8, 2022
Simple, accessible, and direct, this picture book is perfect for kids and parents or teachers to read together, opening the door to conversations about gender stereotypes and everyone’s right to be their true selves.
Is it okay for boys to cry? Can girls be strong? Should girls and boys be given different toys to play with and different clothes to wear? Should we all feel free to love whoever we choose to love? In this incredibly kid-friendly and easy-to-grasp picture book, author-illustrator Elise Gravel and transgender collaborator Mykaell Blais raise these questions and others relating to gender roles, acceptance, and stereotyping.
With its simple language, colorful illustrations, engaging backmatter that showcases how appropriate male and female fashion has changed through history, and even a poster kids can hang on their wall, here is the ideal tool to help in conversations about a multi-layered and important topic.
Purchase/Information Links:
- Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57559367-pink-blue-and-you
- Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0593178645/ref=x_gr_bb_amazon?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_bb_amazon_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641
- Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pink-blue-and-you-elise-gravel/1139741174?ean=9780593178638
- Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Pink-Blue-You-Elise-Gravel/9780593178638?ref=grid-view&qid=1641853675032&sr=1-1
- Indigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/pink-blue-and-you-questions/9780593178638-item.html?ikwid=pink+blue+and+you&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0#algoliaQueryId=a045ece5957e9946083d7109614ecd29
- IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780593178638
About the Author
I was born in Montreal in 1977 and I started drawing not very long after I was born. In kindergarten I was popular because I was able to draw princesses with long spiral hair. Then, in high school, the girls would ask me to draw their ideal guy in their diary. I became very good at drawing muscles and hair, which I used later when I illustrated my book The Great Antonio . On the other hand, I am always just as bad when it comes time to use a diary correctly.
Later, I studied graphic design at Cegep and that’s when I understood that I wanted to do illustration. After my first book, the Catalog des Gaspilleurs , I wrote and illustrated about thirty others . One of my books, The Wrench , won the Governor General’s Award in the Illustration category, and since that time I have a big head and I brag all the time.
I live in Montreal with my two daughters, my husband, my cats and a few spiders. I am currently working on various projects in Quebec, English Canada and the United States. My books are translated into a dozen languages. I hope to live a long time so that I can still make lots and lots of books because I still have lots and lots of ideas.
Author Links:
- Website: http://elisegravel.com/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/elisegravel
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elise_gravel/?hl=en
- Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1261967.Elise_Gravel
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisegarnotte/
- Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/elisegravel/_created/
- Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/EliseGravel
Review (no spoilers)
If you’d like to follow along with the rest of the tour, you can find the tour schedule here.
This book was excellent! I was a bit worried about how I would go about reading and reviewing a children’s picture book because this is not something I normally do. However, once I opened up my copy of Pink, Blue, and You! I knew I was in for a treat.
As a children’s book, there are several things that readers already know to expect: short sentences, cute illustrations, educational message, etc. Where Pink, Blue, and You! exceeded my expectations was in how all of this was delivered. This book covers extremely important topics that kids should be learning about including gender stereotypes, gender identity, and sexuality. It teaches children about social constructs, pronouns–even a bit about bigotry–and it does so in a way that encourages open conversation between the person reading the book and the child.
Each section ends by posing a question to the reader such as should we feel bad about doing things we like? How would you describe your gender? What is your family like? By doing this, the author creates an environment of open communication in which the child can reflect on their own personal views and discuss their thoughts with the adults around them. The illustrations that accompanied these words improved the experience even more as they were very cute, diverse, and relevant.
I definitely recommend Pink, Blue, and You! to anyone who is looking for a book to teach their children about gender and sexuality. Big thanks to TBR and Beyond Tours for introducing me to this gem!
Jenjenreviews 