Hooray for She, He, Ze, and They!

Written in a conversational tone, this book aims to affirm a child’s desire to express gender identity however they want: through clothes, hairstyle, or, as stated by the title, pronouns. Some pronouns will be familiar (she, they) while others are less so (fae, per). The less-common pronouns are mentioned but not explored further. The text is light and airy. The book introduces pronouns by using a metaphor about how cozy the right pronoun choice makes one feel. Examples include a warm cup of cocoa or jumping for the stars. Each page has only one or two dozen words. Sentences can be complex with advanced vocabulary words; this is a book to be read aloud, shared, and discussed. Vibrant illustrations are composed of watercolors and pastels. They depict children of different races in many different outfits and hairstyles engaged in imaginative play. Back matter includes sweet notes from the author and illustrator addressing their inspiration for the book. VERDICT A worthwhile addition to large collections with other books on the subject.