Common Sense Media Review
By JK Sooja
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Charming, gender-inclusive picture book teaches pronouns.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In WHAT ARE YOUR WORDS?: A BOOK ABOUT PRONOUNS, Ari is a little kid who is exploring how words feel on them. Some days, certain words feel right, but other days, those same words might feel not right. As they and their neighbors get ready for the big summer bash, Ari tries on different pronouns until they are satisfied with they and them. Throughout, everyone has words that hover over their heads that each describe them in some way. These words can be interests or emotions or even a job. And the person's chosen set of pronouns are shown prominently in each word cluster.
Is It Any Good?
This picture book is written and illustrated by nonbinary creators who offer a happy and charming introduction to pronouns. Many readers will feel like What Are Your Words?: A Book About Pronouns should be in every K-3 classroom, if not in the family rotation at home. The message is educational, positive, and inclusive. The presentation is cheerful, bright, and clean. And the story is simple, which is great, because as each neighbor is introduced, different pronouns are highlighted. This method is charming because it isn't flatly teaching pronouns. Rather, embedded in an easy little story (going to the summer bash to see the fireworks), Ari gets to show off a variety of different pronouns but also gets to try them on for themselves, to see how they feel. The only drawback is that some of the art doesn't have backgrounds, leaving some pages feeling a little sparse. For younger readers, a few pages may be a little dense.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the pronouns in What Are Your Words?: A Book About Pronouns. Which ones sound good to you?
Why might it be important to use the "right words" when speaking to people?
What other words, in addition to pronouns, might you use to describe yourself?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Anne Passchier
- Genre : Picture Book
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : May 25, 2021
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 4 - 8
- Number of pages : 40
- Available on : Hardback
- Last updated : June 2, 2021
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate