What Are Your Words? - by Katherine Locke (Hardcover)

About the Book

Ari knows a lot of words for neighbors, including the pronouns each prefers, and with help from Uncle Lior, who always asks "What are your words," figures out which pronouns--and other words--fit best today.

Book Synopsis

Follow Ari through their neighborhood as they try to find their words in this sweet, accessible introduction to gender-inclusive pronouns that is perfect for readers of all ages. Whenever Ari's Uncle Lior comes to visit, they ask Ari one question: "What are your words?" Some days Ari uses she/her. Other days Ari uses he/him. But on the day of the neighborhood's big summer bash, Ari doesn't know what words to use. On the way to the party, Ari and Lior meet lots of neighbors and learn the words each of them use to describe themselves, including pronouns like she/her, he/him, they/them, ey/em, and ze/zir. As Ari tries on different pronouns, they discover that it's okay to not know your words right away--sometimes you have to wait for your words to find you. Filled with bright, graphic illustrations, this simple and poignant story about finding yourself is the perfect introduction to gender-inclusive pronouns for readers of all ages.

Review Quotes

"Locke's simple narrative...seamlessly incorporates the appropriate pronouns for each person, demonstrating the ease with which language can change to accommodate pronoun diversity.... A sweet, affirming introduction to the language used to communicate a range of gender identities."--Booklist

Praise for What Are Your Words?:

"Awesome, insightful, powerful, necessary, relevant and woke.... The variety of adjectives used throughout Ari's journey to find their words will delight Language Arts teachers and can serve as a teaching text."--Cicely Lewis, School Library Journal

About The Author

Katherine Locke's words are they and them! Katherine lives and writes in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with their very demanding cats and overflowing bookshelves. They also wrote Bedtime for Superheroes, and books for older readers including The Girl with the Red Balloon and The Spy with the Red Ballon. They edited and contributed to It's a Whole Spiel: Love, Latkes and Other Jewish Stories and the forthcoming This is Our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them, Us. They can be found online at KatherineLockeBooks.com.

Anne (Andy) Passchier is a non-binary illustrator from the Netherlands, currently working in the USA. Anne lives with their cats, loves to travel, draw, and enjoys all things spooky and Halloween.