The Sissy Duckling by Harvey Fierstein, Illustrated by Henry Cole

The Sissy Duckling by Harvey Fierstein
Illustrated by Henry Cole
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Published in 2002
ISBN 0689835663
40 Pages

PLACES TO BUY FROM: 

Amazon (Paperback)
Barnes & Noble (Paperback)

CHECKED OUT THE BOOK FROM MY PUBLIC LIBRARY.

APART OF THE BANNED/CHALLENGED BOOKS CHALLENGE.

APART OF THE GOODREADS 2011 READING CHALLENGE.

Review/Rating:

5 out of 5



Ease of Reading Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Plot: 5 out of 5

Elmer is different from other male ducklings --- he likes to cook, clean, paint pictures, and other non-masculine things. And because of this, everyone calls him a sissy, even his own father. But will they learn that Elmer is just fine the way he is?

This book is on the ALA Banned and Challenged book list, and I kind of understand why, that is, if I was one of the narrow-minded type of person. Anyways, it has been banned/challenged because it has "gay tendencies", which I could see in some ways.

However, to me, it is just teaching people, children mostly, that it is okay to be different and not like things based on the stereotypical views of today's society. In my opinion, this book teaches a good lesson. Why? Because of the fact that no one likes being judged based on a mold that has been around for decades.

Anyways, besides liking the "don't judge people by stereotypes" lesson, I like the illustrations. They matched the words very well, and were cutely drawn and very bright. Also, the text was very easy to see and read, which is always a plus with children's books since most of them have text that's hard to see/read.

That said, this book is very good if you want to teach your kids not to judge people by stereotypes ans other unfair things.

Other Reviews/Author Site:

Harvey Fierstein
Henry Cole
Goodreads: The Sissy Duckling by Harvey Fierstein, Illustrated by Henry Cole
Library Thing: The Sissy Duckling by Harvey Fierstein, Illustrated by Henry Cole
See the World in Rainbows: The Sissy Duckling by Harvey Fierstein, Illustrated by Henry Cole