Introducing Teddy : a gentle story about gender and friendship

Format:

Book

Title:

Introducing Teddy : a gentle story about gender and friendship

Other title(s):

Gentle story about gender and friendship

Author:

Walton, Jessica author

ISBN:

9781681192109

Publication:

New York : Bloomsbury, 2016.

Physical Description:

31 unnumbered pages : color illustrations ; 27 cm

Summary:

Errol and his teddy, Thomas, are best friends who do everything together. Whether it's riding a bike, playing in the tree house, having a tea party, or all of the above, every day holds something fun to do. One sunny day, Errol finds that Thomas is sad, even when they are playing in their favorite ways. Errol can't figure out why, until Thomas finally tells Errol what the teddy has been afraid to say: "In my heart, I've always known that I'm a girl teddy, not a boy teddy. I wish my name was Tilly, not Thomas." And Errol says, "I don't care if you're a girl teddy or a boy teddy! What matters is that you are my friend." Introducing Teddy introduces the youngest readers to understanding gender identity and transition in an accessible and heart-warming story about being true to yourself and being a good friend.

Errol's best friend and teddy, Thomas, is sad because he wishes he were a girl, not a boy teddy, but what only matters to both of them is that they are friends.

Subject(s):

Gender identity -- Juvenile fiction.

Friendship -- Juvenile fiction.

Gender identity -- Fiction.

Friendship -- Fiction.

Genre:

Picture books for children.

Added Author:

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Silver Falls Library	JNF 305.3 WALTON	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Salem Main Library	JP Walton	Searching... Unknown

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On Order

Summary

Introducing Teddy introduces the youngest readers to understanding gender identity and transition in an accessible and heart-warming story about being true to yourself and being a good friend.

Errol and his teddy, Thomas, are best friends who do everything together. Whether it's riding a bike, playing in the tree house, having a tea party, or all of the above, every day holds something fun to do.

One sunny day, Errol finds that Thomas is sad, even when they are playing in their favorite ways. Errol can't figure out why, until Thomas finally tells Errol what the teddy has been afraid to say: "In my heart, I've always known that I'm a girl teddy, not a boy teddy. I wish my name was Tilly, not Thomas." And Errol says, "I don't care if you're a girl teddy or a boy teddy! What matters is that you are my friend."

Author Notes

Jessica Walton lives with her wife, son, and cats in Melbourne, Australia. She was inspired to write Introducing Teddy after her father transitioned into the woman she had always been on the inside, and Jess wanted to find a way to tell that story to her young son. A former secondary teacher, Jess is passionate about literature, board games, the ukulele, and funky prosthetic legs (her current one features green dragon scales). This is her first book.
www.facebook.com/introducingteddy

Dougal MacPherson once drew a truck on a rainy Sunday afternoon to entertain his young son. Since then, he has illustrated for tech websites and conferences and now, a children's book. Dougal lives with his wife, son, daughter and a cat called Monster, in Australia. He documents the antics of his family through fifteen-minute drawings in a popular Instagram account.
@15mindrawings

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Errol's teddy bear, Thomas, seems terribly sad-not even playing on the swing in the park helps. Finally, Thomas reveals why: "In my heart, I've always known that I'm a girl teddy, not a boy teddy. I wish my name was Tilly, not Thomas." Errol doesn't respond with confusion, anger, or even a speech about tolerance-he offers cheery, unconditional love ("What matters is that you are my friend"), and life goes on much as it did before-except that Tilly now wears what was once Thomas's bow tie on her head. "Wear whatever makes you happy!" says Errol's equally unfazed friend Ava. Debut author Walton, who has a transgender parent, posits a world that has moved beyond acceptance to essentially "no biggie." Whether being this far ahead of the curve does justice to the transgender experience is debatable, though the book's spirit of easygoing openness makes it a worthwhile resource. Debut artist MacPherson's ink-and-watercolor illustrations are striking for their emotional immediacy and compositional polish, and he effortlessly moves from the poignancy of the opening pages to breezy good times. Ages 3-6. Agent: Brianne Johnson, Writers House. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Horn Book Review

A teddy bear previously gendered a boy by human Erroll nervously announces that she's not Thomas but instead a girl teddy named Tilly. Luckily, Erroll provides unconditional support, and they can quickly go back to their tea parties and playground adventures. Soft ink and colored-pencil illustrations match the gentle tone of this simply stated and warmhearted gender-identity narrative. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Errol and his friend Thomas a plump, bow-tied stuffed bear are constant companions. But one day, Thomas is sluggish and sad, and when Errol asks him what's up, he's afraid to tell the truth: all along, he's felt like a girl bear instead of a boy bear, and he'd much rather be called Tilly. With the blithe acceptance children are so good at, Errol is happy to call his bear friend Tilly, and goes about introducing her to their other friends. Walton's matter-of-fact exploration of gender doesn't get into any particulars, focusing instead on the importance of friendship and respect. MacPherson's ink and colored-pencil illustrations feature stylized figures, spindly legged with football-shaped heads, in an appealingly loose, scratchy style. The final pages, during which Tilly and Errol do exactly the same things they did before, reassure kiddos that changing gender won't change who a person (or bear) fundamentally is, which, though maybe a bit oversimplified, is ideal for the target audience. A useful resource for adults broaching conversations about transgender issues with little ones.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2016 Booklist