From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea

Finally! This book has so many things missing from children's literature. First, the main character, Miu Lan, is nonbinary: neither a boy nor a girl. Second, Miu Lan is clearly non-white. There are few depictions of trans* children of color in children's literature. Lastly, this book reads like a fairy tale picture book. It presents its message about gender calmly and age-appropriately, and teaches the reader to value people for who they are, not which box they fit in.

A beautiful story, beautifully told and illustrated. As a transgender man, I love finding LGBTQ+ friendly books for my nephew. Irrespective of whether he turns out to be a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I hope his view of the world and of others is as beautiful as the world portrayed in this book.

I got this for my 4 year old's preschool, and we loved the story. She is at the age where kids really start to notice and focus on differences between people and I wanted a story that taught how differences are what make people interesting and unique. This book accomplishes that, and lays great groundwork to break down the gender roles that are also so prominent at her age. She often says things are just for girls or just for boys and this challenged her to think that not only could boys and girls like the same things, but maybe it doesn't matter so much to put people in a category of girl or boy. I bought another copy to have at home.

A perfect book. It doesn't exhort, doesn't preach. A gentle presentation of the value of all people. The artwork is also enchanting.

This is a truly delightful book. The story is enchanting and the illustrations are perfect. It's important to let children know that they can be a nonconformist without becoming a stereotype. It's a sad comment on our times that it has taken this long for a book like this to be produced. It's universal and relevant to us all.

I bought this as a gift for a friend’s baby when her mother said she wanted more LGBTQ+ books for the child’s library. When I first read it, I cried. The story is powerful, accessible, a positive message for all types of children, and uplifting. Stunning illustrations. I will be buying several more copies for all the kids in my life.

This book is beautiful. The illustrations, the words, and the spirit of the book are all perfect. So are the conversations it started with our three year old. Her older sister and I have tried to explain gender neutral pronouns. She gets it and forgets. This visually cemented it for her. We are very grateful for this work of art.

I sent this to my niece and my conservative brother/sister-in-law. Perfect book to give to any family about the unnecessary restrictions gender roles place on children.

This is a beautiful story for any child, but especially for gender queer children. The use of they/them pronouns was well done, the artwork is amazing, the story was lovely. I'm so happy to have found this book. It should be a part of every child's library.

This is my new favorite book to read to my young daughters. I love the empowering messages. I love the fact that it doesn't make it seem like moms love is a magic bandaid that makes everything better and allows for both comfort and worry. And I love that it is an inclusive message to add to our multicultural library.

Finally! This book has so many things missing from children's literature. First, the main character, Miu Lan, is nonbinary: neither a boy nor a girl. Second, Miu Lan is clearly non-white. There are few depictions of trans* children of color in children's literature. Lastly, this book reads like a fairy tale picture book. It presents its message about gender calmly and age-appropriately, and teaches the reader to value people for who they are, not which box they fit in.

A beautiful story, beautifully told and illustrated. As a transgender man, I love finding LGBTQ+ friendly books for my nephew. Irrespective of whether he turns out to be a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I hope his view of the world and of others is as beautiful as the world portrayed in this book.

I got this for my 4 year old's preschool, and we loved the story. She is at the age where kids really start to notice and focus on differences between people and I wanted a story that taught how differences are what make people interesting and unique. This book accomplishes that, and lays great groundwork to break down the gender roles that are also so prominent at her age. She often says things are just for girls or just for boys and this challenged her to think that not only could boys and girls like the same things, but maybe it doesn't matter so much to put people in a category of girl or boy. I bought another copy to have at home.

A perfect book. It doesn't exhort, doesn't preach. A gentle presentation of the value of all people. The artwork is also enchanting.

This is a truly delightful book. The story is enchanting and the illustrations are perfect. It's important to let children know that they can be a nonconformist without becoming a stereotype. It's a sad comment on our times that it has taken this long for a book like this to be produced. It's universal and relevant to us all.

I bought this as a gift for a friend’s baby when her mother said she wanted more LGBTQ+ books for the child’s library. When I first read it, I cried. The story is powerful, accessible, a positive message for all types of children, and uplifting. Stunning illustrations. I will be buying several more copies for all the kids in my life.

This book is beautiful. The illustrations, the words, and the spirit of the book are all perfect. So are the conversations it started with our three year old. Her older sister and I have tried to explain gender neutral pronouns. She gets it and forgets. This visually cemented it for her. We are very grateful for this work of art.

I sent this to my niece and my conservative brother/sister-in-law. Perfect book to give to any family about the unnecessary restrictions gender roles place on children.

This is a beautiful story for any child, but especially for gender queer children. The use of they/them pronouns was well done, the artwork is amazing, the story was lovely. I'm so happy to have found this book. It should be a part of every child's library.

This is my new favorite book to read to my young daughters. I love the empowering messages. I love the fact that it doesn't make it seem like moms love is a magic bandaid that makes everything better and allows for both comfort and worry. And I love that it is an inclusive message to add to our multicultural library.

This is such a loving and beautifully illustrated book. My kid is 6. When we got to the end, I cried. It’s wonderful, especially if you’ve been searching for a book for 4-7 year olds that shows children beyond the gender binary. It’s not overly cutesy or overwrought, just awesome.

My niece (6) really liked this book, and I felt it opened a good discussion about gender differences. I wish I had a good tune to read the song to, though!

there are few books about genderqueer kids and this is a gem among them. from the illustrations to the story, truely a book every kid should be reading

We really love the message this book has. The art is beautiful and the story keeps my toddler interested. Would definitely suggest to friends!

This was a wonderful book about gender identity for children to introduce them to the topic early. It also uses they/them pronouns which is a great educational addition

What a lovely story with beautiful imagery. Both my 5 1/2yo and 17mo love it. It's such a perfect way to teach about inclusivity, but also honestly portraying what it may feel like to be "different" from other children...and how adults may not always have the answer.

My family loves this book. An amazing story about being who you are and being loved by your family regardless of what that is. Highly recommend for everyone!

Beautiful children’s story with wonderful artwork.

My children love this story and so do I. We love reading it together. Its definitely worth buying a hardcopy.

Beautiful book that my 8 year old and 2 year old love!

My granddaughter loves this book!

lovely book!

Excellent book exploring gender identity! Gorgeous illustrations. My 5yo loved it and it helped lead to a great conversation about gender.

Great conversation wrapped in easy to understand dialogue for children!

Beautiful age appropriate book about embracing differences in yourself and others.

Great book with a nice inclusive message and lovey artwork.

This book is so emotionally intelligent and comforting for my kids (ages 5 and 7)—I read it once and it instantly became each of their favorites—they constantly beg me to read it, and I don’t mind, because it’s a joy for adults to read too. My kids love the lullaby and sometimes just call the book “I love you til the day that I die.” What I love most is when the mother sings the lullaby and Miu Lan feels “loved but also worried” or “loved but also sad.” It subtly reassures kids that it’s okay to have “bad feelings,” and it doesn’t mean they aren’t loved. The illustrations are GORGEOUS—a beautiful combination of watercolors that appeal to me as an adult and more childlike figures and fonts that are relatable to kids. Lastly, I love that this book is directly about gender but also about more than gender. It might not be ideal for a trans-identified kid looking for a book about a trans-identified kid, but I love how open and inviting it is, making room for kids who are questioning or have never even thought twice about their gender before. And finally, as a trans adult, this book made me cry the first time I read it (alone). It really feels like a warm hug.

This book somehow made it in to our library basket and I couldn't be happier that it did. I'm a child care provider, and though I don't currently have any binary or gender curious munchkins in my care, I always raise my children to embrace all the different things that make them amazing and to be accepting of everyone else's wonderful unique qualities. We occasionally find books at the library that help the children explore these paths, but many are either worded 'preachy' or in a way that is too much for younger children to take in and they quickly lose interest. This book has the most gentle prose that, along with the beautiful & whimsical illustrations, is perfect for all ages. Even though it was a surprise find at the library every one of my munchkins, from 2 yrs- 7 yrs old, loves it and reads through it several times a day. Bonus is the heartfelt song from mother to child, which has now become the go to comfort & bedtime song I sing to my 2 yr old daughter. I've added this book to my amazon shopping list, and it will definitely be recommended to everyone I know!

Found this at a local bookstore and my preschooler fell in love with the pictures. Then we both fell in love with the story!! Deeply moving without being preachy, whimsical and poetic, playful and imaginative, and gorgeously illustrated. It should belong in the canon of children’s books that you want to keep reading well into adulthood, like a modern day Shel Silverstein or Dr. Seuss. You and your child will want to read this over and over!

My 5 year-old son and I love this book. I have been looking for gender creative books, especially those that expand the meaning of being a boy or a girl or this think case both and neither. This book about a non-binary child, and the steadfast love of this mother as the child navigates our gendered world is beautiful. The illustrations are amazing, and my son's kindergarten class loved it!

by the time i grasped the beautifully gentle message of the book, i found myself with tears falling from my eyes. i’m so grateful that of the thousands of books at the library, this one somehow came home with us. i’ll be buying it for every child i know.

I am in awe of the gentle, non-preachy message of inclusivity in this book and the child MC who starts with so much joy at being their one-of-a-kind self and falls into shame and confusion when they don't fit in. Perfect for non-binary gender kids and EVERYONE who needs to include, accept, and love them.

This book is fantastic. It was such a treasure to buy and share this with my four children.

This lovely book was gifted to us by the mother of my child’s friend. The book is beautifully illustrated and has a powerful message about feeling good about oneself and a mother’s unconditional love for her child.

My six-year-old and four-year-old loved this book, asking me to read it over and over again when we had borrowed it from the library.

Loved recieving this book from a friend at our baby shower. Bought the same book for another friend who was expecting. I love the theme to accept all people who are different from you. The story is written beautifully and I love the part that the mother says she will accept her baby no matter what it wants to be.

Fabulous book to start to tap into gender identity, nothing too direct about it, my daughter is 6 and after several read through's and a little bit of Q & A she seems to be taking a lot from it. She loves the book itself, she copies the artwork style in her drawings, she talks about people being who they want to be, talks about some people not yet being sure, talks about how it's okay to be different. She told me when she grows up she's cutting her hair short and wants to be called Dennis but right now she wants super long hair, to wear pink and dance! I am trying to raise her with empathy because I feel it's a really important trait to have in a modern world, this book helps towards that. The only issue I have with the book is the rhyme the mum sings, talking about loving them until she die's, this was a bit of a struggle for my little one as the concept of death is still overwhelming, but we worked through that and now she sits and reads the book on her own over and over.

Lovely book! Wonderful moral!

This is my kiddo's new favourite book. For anyone looking for resources for their non-binary, bi-gender or otherwise creative little 'they' this might just strike the right chord for them too. It touches on the big feelings, but the focus on conflict doesn't feel overwhelming (drama in these books is my pet peeve) and is strongly overshadowed by the child's innately magical amazing self. I like that it also establishes the child's inner life and sound parental support before and after the story arc, so they never feel alone in it. AND, they end up sharing their magic with their peers.. which is honestly, a great message for all of us to carry around. <3 I find it really difficult to find books with what I feel is the right tone, so definitely a shout out here. The artwork is also beautiful, and my kids both love the little creatures and faces on the teapot and bathtub :)

My nephew loves this story and it’s been a great educator for us adults too. Definitely started some important conversations in my family. If you’re looking to support diversity in the life of your littles, I remember this book.

This is an absolutely beautiful, one of a kind book. I love that the author uses "they" pronouns for the child in the story, offering a great opportunity for parents/educators to talk about gender pronouns and diversity with children. Not only that, but the story and illustrations are beautiful and touching.