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alohabooksandbujos's review
4.0
A cute tale of an elephant who meets a genie and continues dreaming of adventures where the character is typically a boy is actually a girl!
I enjoyed this because it shows that things that may be categorized as “boy” things don’t have to be exclusive to boys! Anyone can enjoy it.
I enjoyed this because it shows that things that may be categorized as “boy” things don’t have to be exclusive to boys! Anyone can enjoy it.
angiew23's review
5.0
This is a cute picture book about an elephant who encounters several fantasy characters in her dream such as a genie and a dinosaur. As she meets each of these creatures she mistakenly assumes they are male and is corrected each time. It turns out all of these characters she would have previously considered using male dominant gender stereotypes are actually females! At the end of the story she decides to rename her toy unicorn to change its gender identity.
I like that this book looks at gender as something that can't be assumed or set in stone. I think that without pushing boundaries too far we can give children a nudge in the direction that gender norms are not necessarily correct. It also brings awareness to the fact that many fantasy characters in stories are male. I'm not sure that this book alone can teach about LGBTQ and gender terminology or values and understandings, but I do think that for a simple story book about an elephant meeting interesting creatures in her dreams, adding in this element of gender is a positive opening for conversations and deeper thoughts about our own assumptions and prejudices. I would recommend this book for parents and teachers of children in the 4-9 age range. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!
I like that this book looks at gender as something that can't be assumed or set in stone. I think that without pushing boundaries too far we can give children a nudge in the direction that gender norms are not necessarily correct. It also brings awareness to the fact that many fantasy characters in stories are male. I'm not sure that this book alone can teach about LGBTQ and gender terminology or values and understandings, but I do think that for a simple story book about an elephant meeting interesting creatures in her dreams, adding in this element of gender is a positive opening for conversations and deeper thoughts about our own assumptions and prejudices. I would recommend this book for parents and teachers of children in the 4-9 age range. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!
librarianryan's review
informative
slow-paced
3.0
This book is supposed to help break the habit of sexualizing nonsexual things. Like how a dragon isn’t always male or a unicorn isn’t always female etc. They have just been portrayed that way in modern media. The author does this by saying if a one thing is Miss or Mrs. or Mrs. but never actually explains what that means. Sometimes it’s Mr. but once again what does that mean? You’ll have one animal saying hello to another and another animal going “oh but I’m not a”, “but I am a”, and there is no explanation. There’s also no representation of nonbinary. So overall I think this is a nice try not quite there.
ashylibrarian's review
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
**Thank you to NetGalley, author Marta Morros, and Publisher Spotlight for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.**
Claudia’s Dream shares the dream of a young elephant who meets many new friends. Every time she meets someone, however, she assumes they are male when in fact they are all female. Claudia begins to question why male is the default gender assumption in movies, books, school, history, and more.
I love the repetition throughout this book as it makes it a good read for younger audiences and something they can easily follow along with. I do wonder if Claudia’s use of “You know, now that I think about it…” seems a little too mature for the seeming intended audience. Maybe something seemingly younger, like, “Oh! I’m sorry Ms/Mrs/Miss…”
I think this is a lovely conversation starter for young readers about the construct of gender in society and how we should not assume one's gender based on what society has presented us throughout history. I do wish this was more inclusive on the gender spectrum to include more than just male/female characters, but I do think this book is a step in the right direction for deconstructing gender norms and stereotypes in society.
The illustrations in this book are BEAUTIFUL! Mulazzani adds so much color and detail and really creates this magical, mystical world that Morros writes about. This is a great author/illustrator duo.
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