A baby wearing blue – must be a boy? A child with long hair – definitely a girl, right?! Gender norms are still ingrained in some people’s minds, but what if you don’t want to confirm to those unspoken rules and would prefer to express yourself however you prefer? That’s the question this picture book helps readers explore as they travel with George through his day-to-day life, slowly gaining the confidence to challenge people’s assumptions about him.

Make sure to read co-author, Kelly Allen’s piece about how life in her family inspired the creation of this book.

“Molly’s brother George tells funny jokes and has the best laugh! When they are together, they have all sorts of adventures, whether that’s on the beach, climbing trees or snuggling on the sofa at home. Sometimes other children laugh at George and don’t understand that his long hair and clips are just part of who he is and how he is.”

---

‘The inspiration behind My Brother George’ by Kelly Allen.

My Brother George is an uplifting book inspired by my son, George. When George was young, he would wear cute cardigans and pretty hair clips. As he grew older, his hair grew, and this combination of physical attributes often caused him trouble in the big wide world.

Growing up, George expressed himself in his own way, and as a family we fully supported him. The issues came with people outside of our circle, who focused on the differences they saw and made sweeping assumptions about who he was as a person.

When your child grows up without fitting into the boxes presented to them at birth, it’s unfortunately inevitable they will face some ignorance. For us, George’s negative experiences were a daily occurrence. Even though some children were unkind, on the whole it was (and still is) adults creating the problem. 

From being misgendered to being laughed at, George experienced it all. He had moments of sadness, where we rallied around him and gave him the support he needed, but the crux of the story is George finding his own voice, his own strength. 

From this strength he was able to correct people, and in doing so he became a voice for future children experiencing the same. 

It wasn’t an easy journey for George, but he kept his head up and didn’t change who he was to please others or to ‘fit in’. Instead, he had a brave sister who answered people back when they made assumptions, and when the time was right, he became strong enough to answer people himself. 

I feel very privileged to have watched his story evolve, and it felt right to create a story focused on his experiences. Telling his story is a powerful and joyous experience, celebrating individuality and smashing the concept of gender identity. 

My Brother George offers hope and lifts those up who need it. It can feel relentless always fighting back against society’s ‘norms’, but we can change things, even if it takes time, we can pave the way for change and acceptance one day at a time. 

My hope is, My Brother George will help other children find their own strength (if they haven’t already). I hope the book allows families to talk and discuss the issues, as well as take action to educate themselves, others and then go and smash those gender roles together!

---

It’s up to all of us to allow children space to be who they want to be – wear what they want, like what they want – even if this doesn’t quite fit into traditional gender expectations. We may also need to defend their right to do so when confronted with those who don’t agree or understand. At least until the individual feels able to do so themselves.

Books such as ‘My Brother George’ are brilliant for opening up conversations which may help expand the mindset of readers or allow them to feel seen and understood. We need many more of them!

Jo.

*Many thanks to Uclan Publishing for inviting me to be a part of this blog tour*