🌈🌈Happy Pride Month! 🌈🌈 We celebrate Pride all year long, so when I read “Me & My Dysphoria Monster: An Empowering Story to Help Children Cope With Gender Dysphoria” by Laura Kate Dale and illustrated by Ang Hui Qing I knew, I had to highlight it this month.
Our story begins with Nisha, a young trans girl and her monster. She is nervous when taking pictures, going to the bathroom and even when she is invited to play with her friends. Each time she is misgendered or called by a boy’s name, her monster grows and grows. Her monster gets so big that it stops her from doing the thing that she loves. Her dad eventually introduces her to Jack, and he also has a monster. After talking to him, she realizes that there are ways to make her monster smaller like using she/her pronouns and going by Nisha. By the end of the book, Nisha is able to do her favorite activities again, and while the monster is still around, it is very small and not all-consuming. This book is awesome for trans kids and their caregivers or allies. The message of this book is great for anyone to hear — if you are struggling, ask for help! The book also has a list of terms and questions at the end for those wanting more information. Lastly, the illustrations are bubbly and cute. Well except for the monster, but don’t worry, it’s not too scary. There are parts when it takes up the whole page, which is a great visualization of anxiety. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did! Happy reading!🌈
