Hmm, I really like the style of illustrations in this picture book, but sometimes they don't seem to have anything to do with the text which is kinda weird? The topic of the discussion with the young children was “same sex marriage” and explaining why some kids nowadays have two moms instead of a mom and a dad. I know it is called an adult picture book but this is a book that you can read with a young child right up to a teenager. The terms and explanation are easy to understand and the illustrations are perfect and quite cleverly done (I loved how they used the original illustration and altered it for the new term - my favourite were the ladybugs).

The GayBCs by M.L. Webb | Goodreads The GayBCs by M.L. Webb | Goodreads

You think about school and how you’re taught the same lessons year after year, and you think it really doesn’t matter, but at the same time, it’s reinforcing. The book is normalizing how people identify and normalizing how allies see themselves and their friends.”For the child with two Mommies or two Daddies, and for the kids in that child's preschool session...or it might make a great gift for the adult who still possesses the wonder of a child. Or for an adult, just because."--Terri Schlichenmeyer, The Bookworm Sez

gay BC book by Allen Dennis | Open Library The gay BC book by Allen Dennis | Open Library

Webb’s addition to the LGBTQ+ lexicon is also being commended by the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, a nonprofit that focuses on LGBTQ advocacy within K-12 school systems. According to Becca Mui, GLSEN’s education manager, helping young people see themselves and understand the world around them and how diverse it really is benefits all students. Two lesbians who parented a child through artificial insemination were giving lectures at their child’s kindergarten classroom. This fantastic spin on your typical ABC book is an important starting point for adults, teens and children. For myself, I didn't grow up with these terms and I feel like finally people are understanding that there is nothing different about LGBTQ and the only thing wrong is the way they were and may still be treated by others. We have two ideas that pop into our heads when forming an opinion, the first idea is what we are conditioned to think, the second idea is what determines who we are as people.” The GayBCs,” released last month by Quirk Books, is authored by a gay graphic designer who wants to ensure parents are having a dialogue with their children about their sexual orientation at a very young age.

As more and more lesbians parent children by means of artificial insemination, the traits that many look for in the “donor” catalog are blond hair, blue eyes and taller in height. I just thought of other little 5-year-olds who are just kind of starting to notice things and thought what would be the best thing for them that would be something that is inviting, but also something that they could use their own words to communicate. My 14-year-old son lives in a high school context that looks different than my own in the early 1990s. This is a great twist on the normal ABCs, and done in the style of Battle Bunny, with an original ABC book, modified.

The GayBCs by M.L. Webb | Goodreads

I is for Intersex. “Some are born with the parts of both a boy and a girl; bodies are works of art!” Hence, they can learn their alphabet letters and also be discussing their sexual attraction through various terms and jingles: The perfect way to teach your kiddos LGBTQ+ vocab while celebrating the beauty of embracing yourself and others."-- KIWI Magazine I do appreciate that it introduces readers to the terms "Mx" (a non-binary honorific) and "ze" (a non-binary pronoun). And while A is for Ally isn't my favorite, I appreciate that the Apple is holding a sign saying "Trans Rights are Human Rights" -- that we come out strong, centering trans issues, rather than some sort of "Love is Love" platitudes. It’s the kind of book that I wish I had as a child,” he said. “When I was 5 years old, I knew that I felt differently than the people around me, but I didn’t have the words.

The definitions are pretty good -- like "Bisexual" is "Someone who is attracted to more than one gender" rather than a more binary definition.

The GayBCs - Kindle edition by Webb, M. L.. Children Kindle

Webb’s book also shares (part of) a title and theme with GAYBCs: A Queer Alphabet , by Rae Congdon (Greystone Books, 2018). Positioned by the publisher as a “cheeky, progressive adult alphabet book,” words like “kink” make this one best for older readers. Make sure you’re buying the one you want, if you want either!Also problematic is the verse for “Intersex,” which tells us, “Some are born with the parts of both a boy and a girl; bodies are works of art.” That’s a misleading view of the range of what it means to be intersex. As the Intersex Society of North America tells us, “Intersex is a socially constructed category that reflects real biological variation,” and notes that people who are intersex exhibit a range of physical characteristics. Sometimes, an intersex condition may be chromosomal or hormonal with no visible physical manifestation. Webb’s definition unfortunately perpetuates the myth that all intersex people are hermaphrodites. The idea of the book is very appealing. As a teacher and a queer person, I think it's important that books like these exist and that kids in their early years learn about diversity and normalize it. However, I agree with previous reviewers, it's a shame that the A wasn't for asexual. Allies are important, but it's more important to give visibility to a collective that is, more often than not, ignored. I think this is a great way to introduce terminology to children. It's simple, uses great pictures and makes it easy. I can honestly think of some adults who could use this book...