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Summary
Summary
Fairest in the Land is a heartwarming, inclusive picture-book story about self-expression and friendship, from Stonewall Honor-winning author Lesléa Newman with full-color illustrations by Joshua Heinsz.
When it comes to playing dress-up, best friends Annabelle and Benjamin both want to be the bride, the ballerina, and the princess. Can they both be the fairest in the land?
In this spirited and inclusive story about expressing our true selves with pride, two friends ultimately realize that they can both be their authentic selves--and that having two princesses means twice the fun.
Author Notes
Lesléa Newman is the author of over 70 books for children and adults. She has received many awards, including two Stonewall Book Awards honors, the National Jewish Book Award ( Gittel's Journey ), fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Massachusetts Book Award, a Sydney Taylor Book Award and Honor, the Highlights for Children Fiction Writing Award, and the James Baldwin Award for Cultural Achievement, among many others. Nine of her books have been Lambda Literary Award finalists. She is also a popular guest lecturer at college campuses across the country and is a faculty mentor at Spalding University's School of Creative and Professional Writing. Newman lives in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
Joshua Heinsz is an internationally published illustrator, writer, and designer specializing in markets for children and a focus on character design for animation. His picture books include Except When They Don't by Laura Gehl, A Paintbrush for Paco by Tracey Kyle, and Frog Boots by Jill Esbaum. He is a graduate of the MFA in illustration practice program at MICA, and he has a love for bright and whimsical imagery with a flair for the fantastical and an air of nostalgia. Heinsz lives in Denver, Colorado.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
A game of dress-up underlines the importance of personal expression in this picture book from Newman and Heinsz. When young Annabelle, portrayed with brown skin, suggests dressing up to white-cued friend Benjamin, Annabelle asks, "Who would you like to be?" He chooses to dress up as a bride, wearing "silk ribbons in my hair/ to match my lacy dress." "Okay," Annabelle says, donning a lavender top hat and tails to walk him down the aisle. As Benjamin next dresses as a ballerina and a princess, Annabelle accompanies by taking on traditional male roles--and growing increasingly gloomy along the way. When Benjamin suggests that they both be princesses, the idea allows them each to enjoy the game, and dance the night away alongside friends shown with varied body types and skin tones. Newman's rhyming quatrains and Heinsz's animation-style illustrations, which lean into candy-bright pinks and purples, offer a portrait of communication and safe-space-making that affirms gender expression across the spectrum. Ages 4--8. (May)
Kirkus Review
Annabelle and Benjamin love playing dress-up, but they both want to be the princess. Benjamin, a light-skinned child with blond hair, always wants to be the bride, ballerina, or princess. His friend Annabelle, who has brown skin and dark brown hair, dutifully dons groom and prince costumes, but she wants to be the princess herself. Benjamin doesn't want to give up his role, but luckily, it turns out there can be more than one princess. The story is told in rhyming verse that gives it a fairy-tale or nursery-rhyme feel, with artwork dominated by twinkling stars and hues of pink and purple. There have been a number of picture books that have told boys it's OK to wear dresses, but this one handles the topic of gender expression with particular nuance and care. Young readers are most likely to notice the messages that sharing and taking turns are important. Yet without directly saying it, Newman also makes clear that it's perfectly fine to be either gender-conforming or gender-nonconforming. The characters' decision to play as two princesses without a prince distances them from the heteronormative romance narrative that can underlie even gender-nonconforming play. With the appearance of additional, racially diverse friends of varying gender expressions at the end, the book encourages readers to embrace themselves, no matter what that looks like. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A pink and purple sparkling celebration of self-expression. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
A heartwarming tale from the author of Heather Has Two Mommies (2015), this follows friends Annabelle and Benjamin during a day of playing dress-up. When Benjamin gravitates toward all of the traditionally feminine roles, such as a veiled bride or a ballerina in a pink tutu, Annabelle is happy to see her friend having fun, but she's disappointed that she is left with the more traditionally masculine roles and outfits. When Benjamin claims the role of princess, Annabelle speaks up, as she does not feel that the prince role fits her, so Benjamin proposes the marvelous solution of having two princesses so they can both have fun and be themselves! Filled with vibrant illustrations and cute animal friends that capture the joy and nostalgia of children playing pretend, Newman's story reminds readers that they are who their imaginations say they are. The fresh bubblegum palette, wonderfully reminiscent of Lisa Frank or Polly Pocket toys, will spark a fresh wave of inspiration for young friends to be their truest selves.
