What is this book about?

Readers will love this board book about gender expression by the #1 New York Times bestselling author, Eric Geron, and Stonewall Award-winning illustrator, Charlene Chua.

"Is it a boy? Or a girl?" 

“WHAT'S IT TO YA?!”

Our little bundle of joy has arrived—to dismantle gender norms!

A joyful baby refuses to conform to the gender binary and instead chooses toys, colors and clothes that make them happy. This tongue-in-cheek tale encourages children to love what they love while challenging the gender binary in a playful, lighthearted way.

Who is depicted in this book?

• Children who transcend gender stereotypes 

What early childhood themes and concepts does this book explore?

• Colorful toys and objects
• Everyday activities and play that babies engage in such as dressing up or riding in a stroller

How does this book support anti-bias education?

Bye Bye, Binary focuses on the play choices that babies make, independent of the gender expectations that adults may attempt to impose on them. While the text in this book initially includes abstract concepts such as gender norms and social constructs, it focuses primarily on familiar and joyful examples of a baby presented with binary options and choosing both. It also directly challenges adults who apply adult labels to babies (such as heartbreakers). Bye Bye, Binary reinforces children’s identities and demonstrates the joyful aspects of human diversity.

Depending on how the book is shared or used—and the developmental level of the children—Bye Bye, Binary may be used to support the following core goals from Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves:

Identity—Teachers will nurture each child’s construction of knowledgeable and confident personal and social identities so that children will demonstrate self-awareness, confidence, family pride and positive social identities.

Diversity—Teachers will promote each child’s comfortable, empathetic interaction with people from diverse backgrounds so that children will express comfort and joy with human diversity, use accurate language for human differences and form deep, caring connections across all dimensions of human diversity.

How can this book be used to meet early childhood learning standards?

For all ages

Use Bye Bye, Binary to meet early childhood literacy standards

For children from birth to age three

Teaching suggestion: Point out play through action words such as paint, ride, dress and jump, as well as various familiar settings that the youngest children can react to, point at or name.

What Illinois Early Learning Guideline does this meet for children from birth to age three?

Developmental DomainLanguage Development, Communication and Literacy

Standard: Expressive CommunicationChildren demonstrate the ability to understand and convey thoughts through both nonverbal and verbal expression.

Indicators for children:

• Begins to use telegraphic speech, such as “kids play” (16–24 months)
• Begins to use pronouns and prepositions (21–36 months)

Teaching suggestion: Imitate parts of the baby’s daily routine and play while looking through the book. Incorporate a baby doll and imitate actions from the book.

What Illinois Early Learning Guideline does this meet for children from birth to age three?

Developmental DomainCognitive Development

Standard: Symbolic ThoughtChildren demonstrate the understanding of concepts, experiences, and ideas through symbolic representation.

Indicators for children:

• Engages in simple pretend play, such as pretending to feed a baby doll with a toy bottle  (7–18 months)
• Engages in pretend play with familiar objects and experiences (16–24 months)
• Builds in sequencing while engaged in play, such as getting a baby doll dressed to go outside or feeding/putting a doll bed (21–36 months)

For preschoolers (ages three to five)

Teaching suggestion: Discuss the different actions that are depicted in the book. Support the children as they act out ways to de-gender their play with babies in the dramatic play area. Dolls can also be incorporated into a book share.

What Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards does this meet for preschoolers?

The Arts Standard25AInvestigate, begin to appreciate, and participate in the arts.

• Benchmark 25.A.ECb:

  Drama: Begin to appreciate and participate in dramatic activities.

See inside this book.

What other resources are available?