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Auntie Uncle: Drag Queen Hero

by Ellie Royce (Author) Hannah Chambers (Illustrator)

Auntie Uncle: Drag Queen Hero
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Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade
cms Common Sense Media Review

Told from the perspective of their adoring nephew, Auntie Uncle: Drag Queen Hero is the story of a courageous drag queen who saves the day, and brings two communities together.

The young narrator thinks it's awesome that his Uncle and his Auntie are the same person. Uncle Leo is an accountant, and is great at helping with math homework. Auntie Lotta is a fabulous performer, and loves to sing and dance with her nephew. One day Lotta's family comes to watch her perform at the local Pride parade. Suddenly, a dog breaks free of its leash and nearly causes a float-crash, but Lotta springs into action just in time to save the dog and the parade. The mayor wants to give her a medal for courage and to throw a big party for her and all her friends, but Lotta worries that her friends who only know him as Leo won't get along with her fellow drag performers who know her as Lotta. With the help of their nephew they put together a fierce look that is both Leo and Lotta, the perfect ensemble for an Auntie Uncle. A sweet, uplifting story about fearlessley letting your true self shine.

cms Common Sense Media Review
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Publisher's Weekly

In this picture book exploring the multifaceted nature of queer identity, the narrator loves Uncle Leo/Auntie Lotta: by day, Uncle Leo is an accountant who helps with math homework; at the weekend, Auntie Lotta is a drag queen who “sings and dances with me.” At Pride, Auntie Lotta whisks a runaway puppy out of harm’s way; when the mayor announces a celebration in their honor, Leo agonizes over self-presentation (“I’ve never been both of me at the same time before”), and the narrator helps to assemble a look that fits who they are. Chambers’s digital illustrations lack outlines, lending the artwork an unfinished quality, but Leo and Lotta’s friends are diverse, and Auntie Uncle’s final outfit, a cropped magenta suit with a peach tulle skirt overlay, is a showstopper. And though the unyielding compartmentalization of Auntie Uncle’s identities, and the firm masculine/feminine binary that establishes, may give some pause, it’s a vivid introduction to drag for young readers. A letter from drag artist Marti Gould Cummings and an afterword by Royce emphasize the personal aspects of the narrative. Ages 3–7. (May)

Review quotes

"A vivid introduction to drag for young readers." — "Publishers Weekly"
Ellie Royce
Ellie Royce was born in Adelaide, South Australia and she's been telling stories ever since. Although she spent over ten years crafting nonfiction articles for magazines, she finally realized her real love was writing the stories for young people that blossom in her imagination. Ellie is the author of four books, three of which are for children. Her first picture book Lucas and Jack was published in 2014. Ellie truly believes in the power of stories to change the world for the better, so she writes and reads them all the time (quite often when she should be doing other things!).These days Ellie lives in Northern New South Wales Australia and plans to keep writing visionary stories for kids and young adults forever.

Hannah Chambers is a queer animator and illustrator from Cleveland currently working on their BFA at the Cleveland Institute of Art. They love cartoons, cosplay, and their Wheaten Terrier, Nova.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781576879351
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Pow! Kids Books
Publication date
April 20, 2020
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV013090 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Alternative Family
JUV060000 - Juvenile Fiction | LGBT
Library of Congress categories
Picture books
Courage
Uncles
Nephews
Female impersonators

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