This review, like this book, essentially as two parts: the story and the Adults' Guide.

The story was fantastic. What a wonderful book for young kids dealing with gender feelings and dysphoria. Nisha & Jack were great. I teared up at the end.

The guide: I appreciated the guide existing, of course, and particularly liked the breakdown of social vs medical transition. I do wish the whole section was worded a bit better though, there were just a few things that felt off hence the 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. This review is of the published ebook.

Even if the only thing a child understands from this book is that boys are sometimes girls, and girls are sometimes boys, for me that would be enough. Yet I think there is a whole lot more here that even a 5 or 6 year-old could understand. From what dysphoria is (because lets face it this is a new word for a lot of us), to the idea that you might feel a certain way and not be sure why (ie: hate or love dresses, etc.) all the way up to the idea of what it means to be transgender and how that manifests at a young age. And to be clear, it does manifest when children are very young.

Occasionally we might be surprised that a child or teen or even adult approaches the world and says they are trans. It absolutely happens. But in the majority of cases these kids know. They inherently have known since they were very young.
No different than at 11 years old I couldn't figure out why I could have Keanu Reeves on my wall as an 'idol' but my Mom acted weird about me wanting to put up Reba McEntire next to him as equally 'pretty'. I knew then I liked boys and girls; I just didn't have words for it (it was the 90s after all) and I wasn't really sure it was a 'thing' that could be true. However looking back, I knew. I've always probably known I was bisexual. It wasn't until I had a word for it and a definition that I could apply it to myself. That is why this book, and others like it, are SOOO important to get into the hands of little ones.
Let's give all children (and adults) the vocabulary to properly express themselves. Lets give them the safe space to do so, and the love and support every child deserves no matter what gender.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

This book should be in every library. It’s a very simple but heartwarming look at a child knowing they are not who they are made to look like. In this case, Nisha knows she’s a girl and it’s now up to the rest of the world to know as well. The way this book uses a monster to show Nisha‘s feelings, and how that monster grows when people take actions both purposely and accidentally to mis-gender her is a metaphor that works for the anxiety that is really felt. The story is simply wonderful and the help for parents in the back are phenomenal. The illustrations are adorable and attention grabbing. This should be a standard book in every school and public library.

Me & My Dysphoria Monster by Laura Kate Dale is a delightful and informative book about a child with gender dysphoria. Nisha is a relatable main character, and her struggles and accomplishments set good examples for children while demonstrating the challenges such children face.

Lines like, “I feel very alone. I no longer feel like myself anymore,” are deeply relatable, while other statements such as, “I was the same person I had always been, I just changed some things so that I was happier about myself,” are important for parents to understand. They are important for everyone to understand.

Illustrated by Ang Hui Qing, Me & My Dysphoria Monster is a perfect package. The artwork matches the text, and every page is beautiful. The color choices skillfully echo Nisha’s moods throughout the story.

My 16-year-old transgender daughter LOVED the book and wants a copy of her own. That’s high praise for a children’s book. Although Amazon classifies this book as a 1st-2nd grade level book recommended for ages four to eight, adults and young adults will find it equally charming.

I highly recommend it!

This is a great book for trans kids, but also for parents so they can get a glimpse inside how the child feels. This is a great tool to open conversations.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Me and My Dysphoria Monster is exactly the book I needed when I was young.

It is a positive, and playful book that explains gender dysphoria and trans* identities in an accessible and honest way, and gives such a strong message about hope and happiness to anyone who may be going through the same.

Nisha’s journey is so recognisable and relatable to trans* kids, and going on that journey with her felt like soul healing.

The illustrations bring the words to life, they’re beautiful and diverse, and really help to visualise Nisha’s world.

Also, the Terminology and Explanations section is wonderful and so important. Providing understanding and vocabulary for parents to open up conversations with their children is such a beautiful thing to include in this book.

Overall, this book made me very emotional. And while I wish I had been able to read it when I was young, I am so, so glad that it exists today.

"Me and My Disphoria Monster" is a picture book where gender dysphoria is explained in very simple terms. The art is beautiful and the story, although a bit shorter than I expected, manages to deliver the message. We can also find, towards the end, an Adults Guide containing explanations of terms and concepts such as intersex, transition and gender euphoria.

I believe books like this are excellent resources for trans kids and their parents. If you already read and liked this book, I recommend giving "The Gender Book", by Cassandra Jules Corrigan, a try.

*Thank you Netgalley for sending me a digital copy of Me and My Dysphoria Monster in exchange for an honest review.

An absolutely beautiful book about a difficult struggle for trans kids. The way dysphoria was presented in this book was absolutely amazing and I think this book was wonderfully written.

I love this story. It is simple yet it says so much. It describes how people feel when they are not seen for who they are. It doesn’t matter your age as Laura Kate Dale shows by introducing an older character named Jack.

Hui Qing Ang’s illustrations are simple. They are flat and do not really come alive off of the page. This could be intentional as the focus is on the message being conveyed in the story.

Overall, I think this is an excellent book that should be in libraries, schools, and on hand for anyone who is questioning or knows someone and needs help explaining. Love it.

We all need such books in our lives! Especially, in our kids’ lives.

It is important and cute at the same time. It is a perfect way to explain that the most significant thing is to be yourself. To not be afraid of thinking in different ways, to dress in other manner - just be a person you like the most.

I wish I have this book in other languages as well especially in countries where are a huge intolerance towards other sexuality and freedom.

Ahhhh! This book made me cry so many happy tears. I love the author from the work she does in the video game commentary industry and add to it the talk of gender dysphoria aimed towards kids made this a must read for me. She did a great job with the subject and I will definitely be buying it for my brother’s future child. Also love the colors and artwork!

Gracias a Netgalley por esta copia a cambio de una reseña honesta.

Me and My Dysphoria Monster es un excelente libro para nuestros niños y adolescentes en el que se les explica sobre la disforia de género. Con este libro pueden aprender como se sienten las personas que no se sienten que forman parte de un género en específico. Es un recurso perfecto para que aprendan sobre un tema muy importante, ya que este les puede ayudar a ellos mismos o a alguien cerca a ellos.

This was such a great story for kids to see they're not alone, and that there's nothing wrong with feeling different! I really loved how this story talked about dysphoria and I feel like all kids need this story <3

Brilliant book on gender/dysphoria for children.
Beautifully illustrated, and easy to understand.

Nisha is a trans girl with a monster who grows and grows when she is misgendered by the world. Through the help of a trans man (Jack) and his own monster Nisha learns what gender is, what it is she is feeling, and what her monster represents and is able to make changes to life her true life with the help of her parents.

At the end of the book there are helpful resources for parents/guardians to help them understand their trans child and what to expect.

Great book on dysphoria and diversity, awesome for kids and parents. Would be great to have it in a classroom.

I wish i'd had this as a child. I would've had the words and known I wasn't alone so much sooner.

There are some draft errors (like on one page it says missing words and later some sentences just stop in the middle) but I got this from Netgalley and it is an e-arc draft so i'm not holding that against it.

Nisha is a trans girl. She has a dysphoria monster that keeps getting bigger as she's misgendered but then she comes out and has support and her monster gets smaller. At first she wanted her monster to just go away but with the help of an adult trans man learns what her monster was trying to tell her, and living as who she is makes her so much happier and confident. It's a beautiful story and has information for adults wanting to support trans kids after the story. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the e-arc.

A young brown-skinned child is confused about what is going on. The child doesn’t feel like a boy and wished they wouldn’t call the child a boy. Her monster only grows bigger every time someone comments on it. Nisha is talking to her mom about the monster listening to other people and not her. Her father introduces Nisha to Jack an Asian trans man. After getting some guidance from Jack, she talks to her parents about this. She gets to have the name Nisha and new clothes that are feminine and plays in girl sport teams. She gets her dysphoria monster under control.

This is a n excellent story about gender dysphoria that can open up discussions on this subject in a more simple and gentle way.. It is a realistic book with bright colorful illustrations. There is at the end of the book resources for parents to help them understand their child and what to expect. There are groups of people with trans kids that get together to understand their child better.

Wow! This book is so important for future generations. It’s so important to adults too. It does a wonderful job addressing the parts of someone they may not understand! I hope that everyone reads this to their kids, whether they are part of the community or not!

Okay this was just so cute and wholesome! It's a great story too if you want to show someone what being trans is like (or in any way gender diverse).