JUST LIKE QUEEN ESTHER

A trans girl finds a much-needed mirror in a biblical queen.

Atara wears a crown everywhere she goes—in fact, her name even means crown. One day, her mom reads her a book about Purim, and Atara sees herself in Queen Esther; while Esther hid her Jewish identity, for a long time Atara never told her parents she was really a girl. Just as Esther’s crown made it clear that she was a queen, Atara’s crown gives her a sense of assurance about her identity. In drama class, Atara is even cast as Queen Esther in the Purim play. The show is a hit. But when Atara forgets her crown at home the next day, she must summon her inner confidence. The book’s full-color, pastel illustrations are reminiscent of newspaper comic strips, with rounded, squiggly lines. The dyslexia-friendly text appears separately from the images. Though the writing is purposeful and at times clunky, it’s wonderful to see a Purim story that centers a trans protagonist; many young people will identify with both Atara and Esther. The book has no endnotes about the holiday, so adults may want to pair this offering with an informational text. Atara and her mom have tan complexions and curly brown hair. Queen Esther has brown skin; the Persian King Ahasuerus is light-skinned.

A delightfully inclusive Purim tale.