The ABCs of Queer History

Gr 6 Up–A picture book for older elementary students, this volume opens with 57 pages of ABCs focused more on inspirational words than history: A standing for “abundant” and “ally,” and Z for “zeal” and “zillions.” The artwork is bright and colorful, depicting a multitude of people, historical figures and generic characters. The keywords are in bold type. Historical facts are sprinkled throughout, seemingly at random. For instance, D is for “dance,” which includes a brief mention of Josephine Baker, along with an illustration of the dance icon. Eight pages of back matter provide more depth and context on the famous figures mentioned. However, the lack of an index makes it difficult to find the information. Without it, there is no way to know that Baker is under “D,” Audre Lorde is under “F,” or George Takei is under “O.”