![]() The next Monday, we see Penelope dressing in a shirt and tie for school. This feels like a lesson in confident masculinity, in itself an affirmation of Penelope’s identity. Penelope’s father then says that if Penelope is a boy, he has to tell him himself. ![]() Penelope’s big brother still doesn’t understand, but their mother says that it doesn’t need to make sense to him. We don’t use gender pronouns.” This is a much-needed reminder for readers that the traditional Western view of gender isn’t all there is. The grandfather comments that in his language of Twi, “gender isn’t such a big deal. His Grandpa G flies in from Ghana for Penelope’s birthday party, and his mother tells him of Penelope’s gender. In the next spread, Penelope has a new, shorter haircut. His mother agrees unconditionally, and says they’ll make a plan to tell “everyone we love” that he is a boy. I want to be Papa.” He asks her to help him be a boy, holding her hand to “transfer some of my ninja powers to help her understand.” The first-person perspective of the book helps readers connect with Penelope’s feelings, perhaps nowhere more than in this scene. ![]() His mother finally asks why he’s so angry, and he replies, “Because everyone thinks I’m a girl.” It’s fine to feel like a boy, his mother responds, and he counters that he doesn’t just feel like a boy, “I AM a boy.” She listens quietly as he explains, “I love you, Mama, but I don’t want to be you. “I love you, Mama, but I don’t want to be you. ![]()
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