Published: 25th May 2020
Publisher: Magination Press
Illustrator: Violet Tobacco
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars
Most mommies are girls. Most daddies are boys. But lots of parents are neither a boy nor a girl. Like my Maddy.
My Maddy has hazel eyes which are not brown or green. And my Maddy likes sporks because they are not quite a spoon or a fork.
Some of the best things in the world are not one thing or the other. They are something in between and entirely their own.
I was so glad to discover this book because while there are a growing number of picture books about trans kids and parents, I was curious about whether the non-binary community were given representation as well.
The story is incredible sweet, it’s a gentle slow read about a young child and their “Maddy”, a person who is presented as non-binary. I loved the opening line about how most mummies are girls and most daddies are boys because right away it already opens up the acknowledgement of a gender spectrum on parents.
Many elements of Maddy are a mixture; their eyes, their hair, a combination of two different things coming together to make them who they are. It’s not only Maddy’s appearance though, Pitman frequently uses the ‘in-between’ to show that wonderful things don’t have to be one thing or another and the spaces between can be their own beautiful thing.
Tobacco’s illustrations are great and I loved the use of colour, especially recognisable colours of the non-binary flag in Maddy’s clothes as well as pride slogans and posters around the house. The full page illustrations are full of bright colours and I love how Maddy and our child narrator are shown interacting with the world around them – their expressions, their actions, and even the unique angles and perspectives of the pictures are interesting.
This is a great story about a loving family and their unique look at the world of in-between spaces and how many things are neither one thing or another if you look closely enough.
You can purchase My Maddy via the following
