I think I have reviewed ABC-Deconstructing Gender by Ashley Molesso and Chess Needham before. However, since I did not remember that I had read it to start with, or at least not until I got a bit into this alphabet book, I decided to write a fresh review. With current events of banning and challenging books, especially in the GLBTQ+ genre, it is alway good to remind yourself of why that book is good in the first place, or not good, as the case might be. Honestly, while I do not agree with banning/challenging books, I do understand why people feel this way, especially if a book is not well done. Just because a book is diverse, or has potential or a good concept, it does not mean it worked out well in the end. Yet, this time it does work out. And yes, it is a banned/challenged book. Molesso and Needham’s book is a fun alphabet book that is just teaching us about feelings and concepts of people, and not promoting anything bad. It is the fact that it tosses gender stereotypes out the window (boys can be kind, compassionate, they can cry and kiss their brothers; and girls can be strong, brave, courageous, and climb rock walls) that upsets people.
While this book is currently available (it came out in May 2023), I read it via an online reader copy.
