Am I glad there's a picture book about gender identity? Of course. Unfortunately, this suffers from the low quality art and the author's desire to fit this to an A-Z format weakens the point.

This is a great book for getting started, and I appreciate the adult guide in the back, but it's lacking A LOT of information. While I think it's important for adults to discuss gender with children and have those conversations, it's not a great idea to put out information with only one sentence. Some of these terms are used for specific cultures and this book doesn't imply that. Unfortunately not all parents will do research before discussing gender identity with their children and this will lead to questions they are illequipped to answer. Increasing the amount of information in the guide for adults in the back of the book would be very helpful, or at least adding a page of reliable resources for adults to find information to answer questions they may not know the answers to.

I received an ARC from netgalley and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I love the overall idea, and I think the topic is very needed. Colorful illustrations are tempered by a lack of detail. Overall, the format is suited to a simple "A is for Apple"esque ABC book, but the concepts are complicated enough (and not elaborated enough) that I think more detailed definitions are warranted, and the book suffers as a result.

ABC of Gender Identity is a nonfiction picture book aimed at introducing children to different gender identities. My ARC did not have any pictures in it, so I can't comment on that aspect.

Firstly, the things that I liked about this book. I feel like the author was coming from a good place with good intentions. Not many books aimed at young children acknowledge just how diverse gender can be, and the ABC format is kind of cute. There is some info at the back aimed at parents who might want to use this book to start a conversation about gender with their child.

However, I do feel like this book kind of missed the mark. It's basically just a list of different genders with their definitions. This can make the ABC format feel a little forced at times. More common identities are missed off because there is only one word per letter of the alphabet, and some very rare ones are included just to fill in harder letters. The book itself does not really offer up any opportunities for discussion, meaning that for a parent who does not know much about gender identity it wouldn't be the best resource. The author recommends googling things, but this means that the book cannot be used as a resource, only a list of things to google. I also feel like there is very little attempt to engage with children on their level. It felt a little bit like reading a dictionary and I can't see it holding the interest of many children.

Personally I would not use this book to talk about gender identity with children, but if it was going to be used that way it would need to be one resource out of many. It had potential, but just doesn't live up to what it could have been.

Absolutely essential for anyone wanting to learn more about gender identity. This is one I will buy and add to my shelves to share with others.

I feel like some of these were a stretch, but I did learn some new terms that I didn't know before and the illustrations were cute and bright.

This book is an adorable and accessible introduction into queer topics and gender. I wish the eARC that I reviewed had illustrations because I'm sure those would add to the overall work in a beautiful way judging by the cover image. Definitely recommended for all children and their adults!

This is a wonderful book that explains gender identities and what they mean. Absolutely 100% reccomend

ABC of Gender Identity is a very simplistic book of definitions geared to help parents educate their children about the different types of genders one might be. This book actually helped me to redefine how I identify myself.

The lettering is big and bold. The definitions are spaced apart so that each one can be discussed. Dr. Michelle Angello, Ph.D. gives helpful questions in the back of the book for parents to ask their children to help initiate a conversation.

Devika Dalal has given parents an easy way to explain gender and a reference tool for kids and adults alike to keep referring to whenever they want. I like things that help educate and share knowledge.

I received an ARC of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.

I loved this book! I think its a much-needed addition to the ABC board books out there that includes the 2LGBTQIA+ community.

I think this is a good book to use as a starter to discuss different genders with children. I had not heard of some of the terms. A simple description for each gender, following the ABC. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was an adorable little picture book! I actually learned some things, myself. I do think it would have been a little bit more engaging if it weren't just definitions. It's such a good idea to introduce all of these terms at young ages! It makes it less scary and new if they're talked about at home.

This book is so eye-catching with its bright colors!! I liked the little kids drawn on each page, all with unique ethnic backgrounds.

I think the definitions have just enough information in them for children to understand, without them getting lost with too many words. And I actually learned quite a few terms I had never heard of!!

I believe this is a great book to get the conversation going, especially with the Guide for Adults included at the end.

First of all, I want to thank NetGalley for the digital copy of the book. Because it was great and quick to read!
A simple and colorful book that really should be bought. I mean, there are just 26 genders here, but even as a 24 years old adult, I discovered some. I also saw mine, and it was great.
It keeps things simple for the kids, but there’s also advice for parents. And it’s the best thing because sometimes talking to kids about gender can be hard, but the advice is really great. And I’m really grateful that this book was written.

"ABC of Gender Identity" by Devika Dalal is an inclusive and intersectional book about gender identity presented in a simple ABC style. The artwork is disappointingly simple.

I want to give this book 5 stars just for existing. Too many people think that children are "too young" to be exposed to gender identities/sexuality or they think it will "confuse " them. These people are just being low key homophobic in my honest opinion. My daughter is 6. We recently had neighbors move in whom are a committed lesbian couple with numerous children, one of whom is becoming close with my daughter. They are a great family and I've come to consider them friends. When my daughter asked why her friend had two mommies and no daddy I explained how different families could be. She asked if we could get another mommy too since her friends mommy always gives them lollypops. That's it. No big deal. Zero confusion.

I think we underestimate children. It's never too early to instill being respectful and this books helps with that. It not only explains many different identities and how to politely refer to them, but it also gives many easy to understand explanations. Later on if my child struggles with their own identity, they will know they are not alone. They will know there are terms and people who identify the same. They will also know they are loved because I have made that clear from the very day they were born. I would love them no matter what.

I do think the age range on this book is a bit generous. My 6 year old would not have a great understanding reading this. I would put the age range starting about age 8. It may be younger or older depending on your childs maturity level for their age. I also disagree with one of the definitions. Queer as I have seen it is majorly used as an all encompassing word for the LGBTQ+ community. "Queer Community" includes everyone, not just a single group. This may be phrasing that has changed since this books debut.

At the end of the book there is also parental advice on how to bring this book up to them or how to read it to a younger crowd. It gives examples and ideas which could be helpful to a parent who they themselves are learning. Knowledge is power, and the fact that there are books out there to help teach others simple terms needed to respect people who identify different from them is something I will take as a positive sign for all

A lovely, colourful book with very clear explanations and definitions of the different genders. It's very thorough and I've learned a lot! It also includes a guide for adults on talking about gender with their children. I will be recommending this book for purchase in our library!

I am having my first child this summer and am looking for more diverse children's books and books educating on LGBTQIA+ topics. I would say if you are looking for a book to start a conversation about or educate you child about gender and gender identity, then this is not it. Here are the main issues I have with the book:

The art does not really add much to the information - it's just some kids (albeit liked the diversity) and different colored highlights here and there on the pages. With a picture book for kids I expect the art to show more of the info/tell more of the story than the actual text. That was certainly not the case here.

The ABC format of the book feels very forced. With a topic this complex and important I think it would have been better to focus on the most important concepts of group terms in a different way to make it all more understandable. The need to find a term for each letter of the alphabet didn't do the book any favors I think.

Some of the terms seem outdated ('gender reassignment' for example). And I do not understand why the word 'queer' was included (other than that the author probably couldn't find another term starting with 'q' - see my point above). 'Queer' was a slur that has been reclaimed by some in the LGBTQIA+ community and is slowly changing in connotation because of it. I would still advise to use the term sparingly and with its history in mind. And its definition here was narrow and incorrect.

The text seems much too complicated for young children. I don't see how this can really support a talk about gender and gender identity with them. It seems more like a short info brochure for parents about the topic that lets them figure out the rest, which makes the book somewhat pointless.

I'm so sad to say I wouldn't buy or recommend this to anyone, really, because the topic is so, so important!

ARC kindly provided vis NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I don't think this book was very successful. It is very simple, with a one sentence definition and simple clip art style figure for each letter. There were many terms that I had never heard of, even as a member of the LGBTQ community myself. With so little information given in the book, I had to search online for more details. I understand it was simplified to share with children, but I think a more detailed glossary at the end at least would have been helpful.

I read this with my seven year old daughter. She enjoyed the color, but when we came across a concept that wasn't entirely clear there was no further explanation. This is fine if you want to put in research for so many little known concepts just for storytime, but if you are wanting to read something that breaks big ideas down into easy explanations this book Is not for you. Definitely not something to read if you were aiming to learn together.