The Fairest in the Land

by Lesléa Newman, Joshua Heinsz (Illustrator)

Overview

A heartwarming, inclusive story about self-expression and friendship, from Stonewall Honor–winning author Lesléa Newman

When it comes to playing dress-up, best friends Annabelle and Benjamin both want to be the bride, the ballerina, and the princess. Can they both be the fairest in the land? In this spirited and inclusive story about expressing our true selves with pride, two friends ultimately realize that they can both be their authentic selves—and that having two princesses means twice the fun.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781647004231
Publisher:	Abrams
Publication date:	05/02/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	21 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Lesléa Newman is the author of 80 books for readers of all ages including the novel-in-verse October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard; the short story collection A Letter to Harvey Milk; the dual memoir-in-verse I Carry My Mother and I Wish My Father; the picture books Sparkle Boy and The Boy Who Cried Fabulous; and the children’s classic Heather Has Two Mommies. Her honors and literary awards include the Matthew Shepard Foundation Making A Difference Award, a National Endowment for the Arts poetry fellowship, two American Library Association Stonewall Honors, two National Jewish Book Awards, the Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award, and the Massachusetts Book Award. From 2008–10, she served as the poet laureate of Northampton, Massachusetts. Seven of her poems from October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard are included in the libretto of Considering Matthew Shepard, a fusion oratorio composed by Craig Hella Johnson. Newman lives in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Learn more at www.lesleanewman.com. 

Editorial Reviews

05/15/2023

A game of dress-up underlines the importance of personal expression in this picture book from Newman and Heinsz. When young Annabelle, portrayed with brown skin, suggests dressing up to white-cued friend Benjamin, Annabelle asks, “Who would you like to be?” He chooses to dress up as a bride, wearing “silk ribbons in my hair/ to match my lacy dress.” “Okay,” Annabelle says, donning a lavender top hat and tails to walk him down the aisle. As Benjamin next dresses as a ballerina and a princess, Annabelle accompanies by taking on traditional male roles—and growing increasingly gloomy along the way. When Benjamin suggests that they both be princesses, the idea allows them each to enjoy the game, and dance the night away alongside friends shown with varied body types and skin tones. Newman’s rhyming quatrains and Heinsz’s animation-style illustrations, which lean into candy-bright pinks and purples, offer a portrait of communication and safe-space-making that affirms gender expression across the spectrum. Ages 4–8. (May)

Publishers Weekly

***STARRED REVIEW***
"A pink and purple sparkling celebration of self-expression."—Kirkus

"A heartwarming tale... Filled with vibrant illustrations and cute animal friends that capture the joy and nostalgia of children playing pretend, Newman’s story reminds readers that they are who their imaginations say they are. The fresh bubblegum palette...will spark a fresh wave of inspiration for young friends to be their truest selves."—Book List

From the Publisher

"A heartwarming tale... Filled with vibrant illustrations and cute animal friends that capture the joy and nostalgia of children playing pretend, Newman’s story reminds readers that they are who their imaginations say they are. The fresh bubblegum palette...will spark a fresh wave of inspiration for young friends to be their truest selves."

Book List

★ 2023-03-14
Annabelle and Benjamin love playing dress-up, but they both want to be the princess.

Benjamin, a light-skinned child with blond hair, always wants to be the bride, ballerina, or princess. His friend Annabelle, who has brown skin and dark brown hair, dutifully dons groom and prince costumes, but she wants to be the princess herself. Benjamin doesn’t want to give up his role, but luckily, it turns out there can be more than one princess. The story is told in rhyming verse that gives it a fairy-tale or nursery-rhyme feel, with artwork dominated by twinkling stars and hues of pink and purple. There have been a number of picture books that have told boys it’s OK to wear dresses, but this one handles the topic of gender expression with particular nuance and care. Young readers are most likely to notice the messages that sharing and taking turns are important. Yet without directly saying it, Newman also makes clear that it’s perfectly fine to be either gender-conforming or gender-nonconforming. The characters’ decision to play as two princesses without a prince distances them from the heteronormative romance narrative that can underlie even gender-nonconforming play. With the appearance of additional, racially diverse friends of varying gender expressions at the end, the book encourages readers to embrace themselves, no matter what that looks like. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A pink and purple sparkling celebration of self-expression. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews