This book is exactly how you would expect. Bye Bye Binary is loud. It is bright. It is bold. It is in your face. Even the narrator is loud. No, I did not listen to this on audio. But there is a voice. I could hear the baby of the story yelling all the things they are talking about.
When the “outside of the frame voice” asks, “Is it a boy or girl?” The answer is a loud, “What is it to you?!?” scream. “It is none of your business what I am. I am what I am and that is all I am” is the attitude of the child. The parents (that you never see the faces of, but see their loud, colorful, pushy clothing and bodies) say the same thing. They are, “We are going to let them/the child decide what they are.”
Therefore, there is no question that this is a very modern story with a very modern tone. The baby does not want to pick blue or pink. But all the rainbow as they paint their toenails. The clothing is whatever they want. The norms are whatever they want.
And you will love that or not.
I do not remember Eric Geron’s Feminist Baby being this forward and loud. Then again, maybe I am just remembering it incorrectly (or honestly, I did not actually read it, just know it enough so it feels like I have). Either way, if you liked that book, I am pretty sure you will also enjoy this addition to the GLBTQ book community.
Now a little backup. Who did these loud illustrations? Who put the color in the story? Who was this person? Charlene Chua. And Chua knows how to make a loud, simple illustration to fit the story’s text perfectly.
