Just How Radical Is Radical: Children’s Picture Books and Trans Youth

Abstract This paper analyses the Australian children’s picture books The Gender Fairy , by Jo Hirst and Libby Wirt, Introducing Teddy: A Gentle Story About Friendship Jess Walton Dougal MacPherson. Both are examples of a rare engagement authors illustrators; indeed, has distinction being first author book with trans protagonist. illustrators engage issues within socio-political context that continues to problematise gender identity, particularly when it pertains young children. To circumvent at least some controversy their efforts might generate, balance radical potential subject matter perceived needs marketplace constraints imposed genre. In doing so, they create radical, but not so generate obscures message.