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Struggled To Explain Their Identity
Stan and Allen: A Book About Gender follows two non-binary alligators who are misgendered and educate their friends on gender-neutral language. What was the inspiration for your story?
The inspiration initially came from my own experiences explaining my identification of nonbinary to others. When I first told my parents about my identification they mistaked being nonbinary for being bisexual – a common misconception. I also thought about those I knew who were younger than me who also struggled to explain their identity to family or others. I wanted to create something which could act as a friendly tool for these conversations. A children’s book seemed to be a great format which could reach all ages.
My older brother, Brennan, is actually the great story-teller in the family – and has always been a creative inspiration for me. Brennan loves creating short stories. It really was his love which made me truly fall in love with writing and creating stories of my own.
What educational aspects were important for you to include in this children’s book?
The presentation of Stan and Allen was extremely important. I wanted the book to be visually stimulating to hold attention and also represent the positive nature of the story. If you follow closely you can see each character speaks in their own font style. It was also important to me to have the book rhyme to depict a friendly tone. Having anthropomorphic characters I believe is one the most important aspects of the book. Since Stan and Allen are both alligators we are able to just purely focus on the given topic – gender. Since animals are less ‘gendered’ than humans I believe it’s easier for someone new to the concept of non-binary to learn on an already fairly gender neutral alligator. Finally I also wanted a type of reflection included which is why the book ends with some pure educational pages. These include a dictionary type definition of what it means to be non-binary, three important things about gender, and some easy gender neutral greetings.
Overall I hope the book is able to serve as a great educational tool. I have had school counselors, students, pediatricians, parents and others express how helpful the book has been in their explanation and understanding of non-binary identification. The book is meant to help educate anyone of any age about what it means to be non-binary.
What were some of your inspirations as a writer?
I drew inspiration from my favorite children’s books : Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich and The Spider and the Fly. Both books have very unique illustrations, are written in rhyme, and are in square page format. My love for these two books and their formats helped inspire Stan and Allen to have hand drawn illustrations, rhyme, and be formatted in square pages.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
I am currently working on two more Stan and Allen books. One is a follow up on gender which dives deeper into the topic. The other is about ADHD. I have ADHD and realize all the negativity associated with it, but don’t agree. I hope to illustrate ADHD as a positive rather than a negative. Stan and Allen: A Book About Gender is my first published book through Archway publishing — I am currently working on marketing it and building up a following. My dream is to publish my next book through Simon and Schuster.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Website
Stan is here to help. In a kind and gentle way, he offers suggestions on how to extend gender neutral greetings, answers questions around pronouns, explains what it means to be non-binary, and encourages everyone to advocate for themselves. Best of all, Stan teaches the importance of accepting ourselves and others around us, just as we are.
Stan and Allen is the tale of two alligators who have a friendly conversation about gender that will educate and empower all ages about what it means to identify as non-binary.
Stan and Allen
Stan and Allen: A Book About Gender by Huxley Ren Bunn is a story about a non-binary alligator named Stan who loses their umbrella, which is trouble for them since they get sunburnt without it! Their friend Allen joins them and proposes they visit the “Mud Slug” for some lemonade. As they get their drinks and wonder where their umbrella went, they are misgendered by a few friends. Stan takes this opportunity to help educate their friends as well as the audience on the definition of non-binary and what it means to each individual person’s identity.
This story is a great and fun introduction to gender, especially for younger kids, as it covers gender identity and common misconceptions and questions. It clearly defines the words, making them easy for a younger audience to understand and grasp. With the beautifully abstract art style, it is much more captivating and exciting for a child. The colorful, large text and diagrams help the reader to visualize each term and lesson.
The overall storyline is adorable and educational. It really shows how common it is to be misgendered in a person’s day-to-day life. And it can be difficult for some people to know what pronouns to use, so the story emphasizes the importance of not being afraid to ask! In addition, the characters are all different colorful animals, and they’re cute. Overall, the book is a fantastic read, and I highly recommend it for children and even adults!
Stan and Allen: A Book About Gender is a well-crafted children’s book explaining non-binary and different pronouns at an age-appropriate level. The story is delightful and engaging and encourages children to accept themselves and others around them.
Pages: 38 | ISBN: 1665731184
LITERARY TITAN 