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A review by renee_b
When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff
5.0
I love this book! Unlike a lot of trans books for children, this is an #ownvoices book, and eschews a lot of the harmful stereotypes you see perpetuated in other trans picture books.
Take this passage, for example,
"Everyone thought he was just a just a different kind of girl. Some girls had room full of science experiments and bug collections. Lots of girls didn't wear dresses. But Aiden didn't feel like any kind of girl. He was really another kind of boy."
Picture books books by non-trans authors often reduce gender to a set of outside gender expectations that a kid doesn't want to conform to, thereby making them a different gender. In Jack not Jackie (written by a cis white woman), for example, one of the reasons Jack is "not a girl" is that he likes to play with bugs. When Aiden Became a Brother is a more nuanced portrait, showing that while outside gender norms play a role in identity, defying or playing with those norms is not what makes a person trans.
Another passage I like, "It was hard to tell his parents what he knew about himself, but it was even harder not to. It took everyone some time to adjust, and they learned a lot from the other families with transgender kids like him."
A recognition that transition, even with supporting and loving family is still that--a transition that takes time, work, and community. I love Julian is a Mermaid (again written by a cis, white woman), but I also understand that there is a reductive narrative in its depiction of immediate and unconditional acceptance that can be painful for a person who has experienced rejection or even just a period of confusion and resistance during their transition. For a much more detailed essay on this, I recommend checking out Dr. Laura Jiménez's article, Trans People Aren't Mythical Creatures. I can't find the link to the full article, but excerpts from it can be found on De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children blog here
The story of When Aiden Became a Brother is charming and sweet, about some of Aiden's anxieties about his future sibling and the ways he worries they, too might be reduced by their gender. This aspect of the book is dealt with with style and humor, as when a woman asks his mother, "Are you having a boy or a girl," and she replies with, "I'm having a baby." Later someone asks Aiden, "Are you excited for your new brother or sister," to which Aiden says, "I'm excited to be a big brother."
Illustrator Kaylani Juanita's drawings are perfect! Soft, loose, and squiggly and colorful, they fill the book with a humor and tenderness that perfectly match the text. We love to see a black illustrator depicting black joy. Five Stars
Take this passage, for example,
"Everyone thought he was just a just a different kind of girl. Some girls had room full of science experiments and bug collections. Lots of girls didn't wear dresses. But Aiden didn't feel like any kind of girl. He was really another kind of boy."
Picture books books by non-trans authors often reduce gender to a set of outside gender expectations that a kid doesn't want to conform to, thereby making them a different gender. In Jack not Jackie (written by a cis white woman), for example, one of the reasons Jack is "not a girl" is that he likes to play with bugs. When Aiden Became a Brother is a more nuanced portrait, showing that while outside gender norms play a role in identity, defying or playing with those norms is not what makes a person trans.
Another passage I like, "It was hard to tell his parents what he knew about himself, but it was even harder not to. It took everyone some time to adjust, and they learned a lot from the other families with transgender kids like him."
A recognition that transition, even with supporting and loving family is still that--a transition that takes time, work, and community. I love Julian is a Mermaid (again written by a cis, white woman), but I also understand that there is a reductive narrative in its depiction of immediate and unconditional acceptance that can be painful for a person who has experienced rejection or even just a period of confusion and resistance during their transition. For a much more detailed essay on this, I recommend checking out Dr. Laura Jiménez's article, Trans People Aren't Mythical Creatures. I can't find the link to the full article, but excerpts from it can be found on De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children blog here
The story of When Aiden Became a Brother is charming and sweet, about some of Aiden's anxieties about his future sibling and the ways he worries they, too might be reduced by their gender. This aspect of the book is dealt with with style and humor, as when a woman asks his mother, "Are you having a boy or a girl," and she replies with, "I'm having a baby." Later someone asks Aiden, "Are you excited for your new brother or sister," to which Aiden says, "I'm excited to be a big brother."
Illustrator Kaylani Juanita's drawings are perfect! Soft, loose, and squiggly and colorful, they fill the book with a humor and tenderness that perfectly match the text. We love to see a black illustrator depicting black joy. Five Stars