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Re: Trans middle-grade?
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From: Ian Hoffman <ianhoffman101_at_gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 14 May 2014 10:57:16 -0700
Hi Sarah and Hannah,
I think this is mostly a case where publishers haven't caught up with the culture yet. Yes, there are picture books about gender nonconformity, but there are barely a handful of them. Plus, they've all been published in the last few years. Until now, it's simply not a subject most publishers have been interested in. Either they haven't understood the content, or they haven't known if there's a market for such books. That's understandable; this is a rapidly changing part of our culture. I'm just grateful our publisher, Albert Whitman & Company, understood the need for a book like "Jacob's New Dress."
In our case, my wife Sarah and I deliberately wrote "Jacob's New Dress" as a picture book, although it would have been far easier to deal with the issues as a middle grade book. We chose that because we felt strongly that the smallest kids were the most vulnerable, needed the most support, and were the easiest to teach.
That said, there definitely need to be middle grade books on the subject. I just wish we were middle grade writers!
Best, Ian Hoffman, co-author
"Jacob's New Dress," Albert Whitman & Company, Spring 2014
On May 14, 2014, at 10:12 AM, Dentan, Sarah wrote:
> Hannah (and all) –
>
> I have the same feeling, that there is a middle-grade gap in terms of materials reflecting gender-nonconformity and anything-other-than-heterosexuality. Which is not to say that there is no sexuality in middle grade books – I read a lot of middle-grade fiction with female protagonists with my kid and there is PLENTY of burgeoning sexuality available to the 8-11 year old girl reader, but it’s all boy/girl and we call it “romance”, not sexuality.
>
> So we’ve got a normalized a preoccupation with straight romance for under-12 girls, but any discussion of same-sex romance and that becomes “sexuality”, and therefore not appropriate for a middle grade title. Which means that girls who aren’t interested in boys (either because they’re interested in girls or because they’re not invested in romance/sexuality at all) may see the occasional gay adult in their books, but they don’t see themselves.
>
> There was a flurry of stories as far back as 2009 about the increasing numbers of gay kids coming out in middle school. Doctors and therapists working with trans* youth are starting interventions prior to puberty in some cases. So while it’s great to have gay parents or gay older siblings appear (I don’t know of a middle-grade title dealing with trans* issues) it’s clear that at least some kids are already dealing with these issues for themselves and with their peers.
>
> This does have me thinking about the ubiquity of boyfriend/girlfriend tropes in children’s books featuring girls. It’s an ongoing plotline in Junie B. Jones, for heaven’s sake!
>
> - Sarah
>
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Received on Wed 14 May 2014 12:57:39 PM CDT
Date: Wed, 14 May 2014 10:57:16 -0700
Hi Sarah and Hannah,
I think this is mostly a case where publishers haven't caught up with the culture yet. Yes, there are picture books about gender nonconformity, but there are barely a handful of them. Plus, they've all been published in the last few years. Until now, it's simply not a subject most publishers have been interested in. Either they haven't understood the content, or they haven't known if there's a market for such books. That's understandable; this is a rapidly changing part of our culture. I'm just grateful our publisher, Albert Whitman & Company, understood the need for a book like "Jacob's New Dress."
In our case, my wife Sarah and I deliberately wrote "Jacob's New Dress" as a picture book, although it would have been far easier to deal with the issues as a middle grade book. We chose that because we felt strongly that the smallest kids were the most vulnerable, needed the most support, and were the easiest to teach.
That said, there definitely need to be middle grade books on the subject. I just wish we were middle grade writers!
Best, Ian Hoffman, co-author
"Jacob's New Dress," Albert Whitman & Company, Spring 2014
On May 14, 2014, at 10:12 AM, Dentan, Sarah wrote:
> Hannah (and all) –
>
> I have the same feeling, that there is a middle-grade gap in terms of materials reflecting gender-nonconformity and anything-other-than-heterosexuality. Which is not to say that there is no sexuality in middle grade books – I read a lot of middle-grade fiction with female protagonists with my kid and there is PLENTY of burgeoning sexuality available to the 8-11 year old girl reader, but it’s all boy/girl and we call it “romance”, not sexuality.
>
> So we’ve got a normalized a preoccupation with straight romance for under-12 girls, but any discussion of same-sex romance and that becomes “sexuality”, and therefore not appropriate for a middle grade title. Which means that girls who aren’t interested in boys (either because they’re interested in girls or because they’re not invested in romance/sexuality at all) may see the occasional gay adult in their books, but they don’t see themselves.
>
> There was a flurry of stories as far back as 2009 about the increasing numbers of gay kids coming out in middle school. Doctors and therapists working with trans* youth are starting interventions prior to puberty in some cases. So while it’s great to have gay parents or gay older siblings appear (I don’t know of a middle-grade title dealing with trans* issues) it’s clear that at least some kids are already dealing with these issues for themselves and with their peers.
>
> This does have me thinking about the ubiquity of boyfriend/girlfriend tropes in children’s books featuring girls. It’s an ongoing plotline in Junie B. Jones, for heaven’s sake!
>
> - Sarah
>
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Received on Wed 14 May 2014 12:57:39 PM CDT
