(Be sure to get the 25th anniversary edition, in which they removed a problematic image.) Naturally, Grace becomes the best darn Peter Pan anyone has ever seen. Grace wants to be Peter Pan in the school play, but her peers say she can’t because she is Black and a girl. (Apparently, pretending to be a spider is acceptable as long as your sex at birth matches that of the spider.)įor example, Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman has a similar storyline.

Melissa wants to be Charlotte in the school play, but her teacher says she can’t because her teacher believes Melissa is a boy. I’m a big fan of pairing books or creating text sets, so there are several books that I would recommend using alongside Melissa. Melissa offers educators an opportunity to talk to children about being themselves and following their dreams. How would you describe Melissa’s personality and how does she change throughout the book? Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.Can kids identify the overall theme and message or moral? Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development summarize the key supporting details and ideas.There are many places in this book where students can make inferences, like when Melissa hides her fashion magazines. This is the standard that keeps on giving. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.For the one in eight elementary school students who are bullied for not conforming to gender norms, queer books and other books that challenge gender stereotypes can teach them and their peers to rethink gender biases. According to the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), having just one visibly supportive educator in a school can ensure that LGBTQ students feel safe, welcomed, and encouraged to learn. Furthermore, no parent or group of parents get to make decisions for everybody’s children.Īdditionally, the benefits of creating LGBTQ-inclusive spaces for children far outweigh the risks. They deserve to see their families represented in school. First, public education is for the public and the public includes queer kids and families.

Whenever I encounter such fears, I remind teachers of a few things.

The news stories about banned books and angry parents leading to teachers being targeted and/or fired genuinely concerns many well-intentioned educators. Teaching is their livelihood and they want to keep their jobs. In my work with preservice and practicing teachers, I often encounter fear. Why You Should Teach Queer Children’s Books

Alex gino melissa