My Maddy

Gayle E. Pitman, PhD, is a professor of psychology and women's studies at Sacramento City College. Her teaching and writing focuses on gender and sexual orientation, and she has worked extensively with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ+) community. She is the author of This Day in June, When You Look Out the Window,  Feminism From A to Z and Sewing the Rainbow. This Day in June was the winner of 2 5 Stonewall Book Award amp ndash Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Children's amp amp Young Adult Literature Award and Top Ten Title, ALA Rainbow List. In 2 9, it was named as an  Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2 8 List book by ALA's Office of Intellectual Freedom. She lives in California. Visit her gaylepitman.com and follow her on Facebook: GaylePitmanAuthor, Twitter: GaylePitman, and Instagram: GaylePitman.Violet Tobacco illustrates from her townhome in north Atlanta. As a coffee enthusiast, she enjoys traveling her city to explore different cafes from which she can work. Having a background in theatre, she has translated her adoration for storytelling into illustration. When taking it easy, Violet and her wife watch animated films and play video games in the company of their three grumpy cats and cloud-shaped pup. Violet has the great fortune to work with other creative individuals and create wild and whimsical worlds that help us better understand who we are. Visit VioletTobacco.com and VioletTobacco on Twitter and Instagram.

“The latest in Pitman’s LGBTQ books for children introduces young readers to a parent whose gender identity and expression are ‘entirely fantastically their own’—not a mommy or a daddy, but ‘my Maddy….’ Such positive images of gender-nonconforming presentations are rare in children’s literature, making this a valuable addition to any school, public, or personal library for its engaging art and accessible representation for a wide age range…. Much needed in the landscape of family-oriented picture books.”- Kirkus Reviews;“My Maddy is a heartfelt narrative that marries refreshingly unapologetic LGBTQ illustrations with text that many child readers will be able to relate to. This celebration of nonconforming parents is a nuanced and noteworthy addition to any home, classroom, or library.”- Booklist Starred Review;“Tobacco’s crisp, richly detailed illustrations depict a parent and child moving through their days with warmth and love, snuggling and reading. Pitman’s affirming text highlights the joy of in-between things—hazel eyes, sporks, sunrises, motorcycles (‘It’s not a car or a bicycle. It’s kind of both, and it’s something all its own’) —gently illuminating the idea that people, too, can exist beyond categorization.”- Publishers Weekly;“Gayle Pitman has written a celebratory book about parenthood that is both heartwarming and informative. Look at that gorgeous cover filled with an abundance of love, joy, and rainbow pride. It is so inspiring, as is the text which is filled with positive images and concepts of one’s family.”;“I love the depiction of a non-binary parent. It is a very nice celebration of the relationship between a parent and child, each of them being as they are.”