Let’s Confuse Kids
Jacob’s New Dress
By Sarah and Ian Hoffman
Kyle with a library copy of Jacob’s New Dress
Illustrated by Chris Case
Published by Albert Whitman & Company
Jacob's New Dress is a short picture book of twenty-nine colorful pages aimed directly at very young children. The title gives away much of the story. The protagonist, Jacob, is a little boy who enjoys playing dress-up. However, when he plays he enjoys being a princess. For Halloween, he dressed as a witch. He even made a simple dress using a towel. Many of the LGBTQ children’s books that I review contain graphic sexual content or images. This book does not have that but is it appropriate for a public or school library?
When the boy wants to go to school in his towel dress, the mother simply says, “Put on some shorts and a shirt under that dress-thing.” Throughout the book, the mother is very supportive of her son’s clothing choices and never attempts to steer him in another direction. She even helps make a dress for him to wear and says, “There are all sorts of ways to be a boy.” The father is seen on only two pages of the book and says little.
At the back of the book the authors say, “When our son, Sam, was a preschooler he had long hair, wore dresses, and loved the color pink.” They conclude the book by stating, “Jacob’s New Dress was born of our commitment to help parents, families, teachers, and physicians stand behind all the differently gendered little people in their lives.” But this book isn’t a resource for adults. It’s aimed at children. I’m perfectly willing to accept that children might be confused about their gender identity, but that is a topic for parents to have with their children.
In my opinion, the authors are attempting to normalize gender-nonconformity in children. That is not a goal for teachers, public schools, or taxpayer-supported libraries. Instead of this picture book, parents need real, non-biased, practical resources.
Have you read this book or other similar ones? What is your opinion? Let us know in the comment section below.
