Arts
Faerie Tales From the Rainbow Library
by Neth Urkiel-Taylor
When
I was a child there was a children's album I spent a lot of time listening
to: Free To Be You And Me. The title song had lyrics that were very inspiring
and
memorable to me: "There's a land that I see where the children are
free and I say it ain't far to this land from where we are... Every boy
in this land grows to be his own man. In this land, every girl grows to
be her own woman."
Three children's books from the same era
feature this theme: The Girl Who Would Rather Climb Trees by
Miriam Schlein; Oliver Button Is a Sissy by Tomie dePaola; and
Jesse's Dream Skirt by Bruce Mack. These three books encourage
children's approaches
to resolving conflicts, freedom of self-exploration, tolerance and respect
of gender role differences.
Just by looking at the cover of Miriam Schlein's
book, The Girl Who Would Rather Climb Trees, you can see that
the main character, Melissa, is a no-frills kind of gal. Melissa is happy
to read, play ball, do puzzles, watch birds, bike ride, jump rope and
climb trees. She is very confident in these activities. We might refer
to her, although the book does not, as a tomboy.
The question for Melissa is what to do
with the dolly presented to her by the female adults in her life. After
numerous awkward attempts to play with the doll, she solves her indifference
in a very practical manner. In this story, Melissa tries out but cannot
actively engage in the role that she is expected to accept as a female
in her family.
Jesse, the boy in Jesse's Dream Skirt,
is challenged in a similar way. Jesse desires more than anything in the
world to create a skirt for himself to wear everywhere he goes. This is
accomplished with the help of his mother Jean.
Jesse is a younger character than Melissa;
therefore, he seeks security and support from his pre-school teacher,
Bruce, in order to solve a peer conflict that arises around his skirt-wearing.
Bruce encourages open discussion of the feelings the other children have
about Jesse's dream skirt. During the preschoolers' discussion a classmate
named Sarah says, "My mother told me that a long time ago girls weren't
allowed to wear pants." (By the way, that story is depicted in the
children's book Bloomers by Rhoda Blumberg.)
From the first illustration in Jesse's
Dream Skirt, illustrator Marian Buchanan shows us a diversity of
male "dress" that spans multiple cultures and colors. In this
story the natural and inquisitive child finds support. Children who would
rather not take part in the experience of skirt dressing are allowed that
option too. It is okay for children to watch and not say anything at all.
Unfortunately, this book is out of print, and despite three unsuccessful
attempts I have been unable to locate the parties originally involved
in its creation. I found my copy at Recycle North in Burlington, Vermont.
A third book, Oliver Button Is a Sissy
by Tomie dePaola, is another wonderful example of a character who successfully
makes the transition from being misunderstood and unappreciated to being
more fully accepted by the people in his life. Unlike Jesse's mom Jean,
Oliver's mama and papa do not accept Oliver's behavior. Initially, his
family is negative and unhealthy in their approaches to change Oliver.
This book combines the ideas that the other two books demonstrate —
help and encouragement in the situation from a mentor, and self-perseverance
in order to solve one's own problems.
Oliver Button is a STAR is a 2001
video release by the TCGMC/Oliver Project and Vermont filmmaker John Scagliotti.
The documentary — based on dePaola's book — was aired as a
PBS Family Special on bullying, tolerance, and youth empowerment. It employs
an innovative mix of live performance, traditional storytelling, animation,
musical adaptation of Oliver Button Is a Sissy, film clips, classroom
footage, home movies and childhood memories from Tomie dePaola, dancer
Bill T. Jones, arctic explorer Ann Bancroft, and makeup artist Kevin Aucoin
to explore bullying and gender differences in children.
Both Jesse and Oliver are boys who participate
in activities commonly referred to as feminine. Yet, neither thinks of
himself, as far as the reader is told, as being a girl. The expressions
of their gender and the behaviors that their families and friends see
do not match Jesse's, Oliver's or Melissa's gender identities. Each child's
self expression and/or participation in activities outside a traditional
gender role does not necessarily carry over into the way each child identifies
themselves mentally, sexually or emotionally as a male or a female.
The messages in all three of these books
are very enabling — excellent examples of youth that are self-aware
and resilient. It is important that anyone reading books like the three
above understand and be able to explain the difference between gender
role, gender expression and gender identity.
"And you and me
are free to be
you and me."
Neth is currently involved in The Rainbow Library, a reference library
and Vermont resource for queer-themed picture books, videos, and family
information. Library staff is willing to facilitate reading circles with
your friends and family, group, school or organization. Call 652-0878
to learn how you can become involved, to get a bibliography or to learn
more about the library.