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Locke, Katherine

What Are Your Words?: A Book About Pronouns

40 pp. | Little | May, 2021 | Trade ISBN 978-0-316-54206-7 $17.99
(3) K-3 Illustrated by Anne Passchier. Ari's uncle Lior uses they/them pronouns; neighbor Anna "had a different name and used different pronouns. But now she goes by Anna and uses she and her..." For Ari, however, "My pronouns are like the weather. They change depending on how I feel." On this particular day, Ari is frustrated by not knowing which pronouns feel right. "She and her feel sharp and crackly"; "Ey and eir feel heavy and bumpy." The stylized cartoon illustrations show the characters with their pronouns and other descriptive words, so neighbor Robin is crowned with "Artistic! Sweet! Kind! Ze/Zir!" If things get a bit convoluted in this purposeful story--"Uncle Lior says hello and tells zir their words too"--the art helps sort things out. This story offers lots of opportunities for exploring beyond the binary.
Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

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