Feminist parents are exposing their children to feminist media through children’s literature.
Many young feminists are first exposed to feminist theory by stepping on a college campus. Others are lucky enough to be exposed in middle or high school. Some are even luckier, because they’ve been raised by vocal feminist parents.
As feminism becomes part of a more common public dialogue, many parents are stepping up to the plate and filling their children’s bookshelves thoughtfully. Here are a few titles to consider for the young feminist in your life.
Feminist Baby by Loryn Branz
“Feminist Baby likes pink and blue,” the title says, followed by, “Feminist Baby chooses what to wear / and if you don’t like it she doesn’t care!” The vibrant illustrations follow the protagonist, the Feminist Baby, who’s not afraid to do her own thing.
What Makes a Baby by Cory Silverberg
Oftentimes, traditional media about sexual reproduction speaks in an extremely transphobic way, failing to recognize not all women have uteruses with eggs and not all men have penises with sperm.
Fortunately, What Makes a Baby serves as the perfect alternative. The picture book follows replaces the “when mommy and daddy love each other…” narrative with a gender-inclusive one. For instance, a passage reads, “This is an egg. Not all bodies have eggs. Some do, and some do not.”
Toni the Tampon by Cass Clemmer
Just like common narratives around reproduction, those about menstruation often center aroud women, which fails to address the elephants in the room: not all women menstruate and men can also menstruate.
Fortunately, a genderqueer artist created a solution, which happened to be a gender-inclusive coloring book following a personified tampon. Once Breitbart heard about this project, conservative commentators were quick to condemn it as intersectional feminists celebrated and rejoiced.
Rad Women A-Z by Kate Schatz and Miriam Klein Stahl
Starting with Angela Davis, this A-Z book names great women who made herstory. While the book is considered “the Common Core for third to eighth graders” by its Amazon listing, the illustrations and descriptions are meant to be read by everyone, which means parents will have something to learn, too.
A Is For Activist by Innosanto Nagara
Occupy Wall Street calls this book A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn, but for children. In a similar style of an elementary A-Z hardcover, A Is For Activist walks readers through common terms in progressive movements including “co-op,” “indigenous,” and “justice.”
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