Picture Book Spotlight: Peanut Goes for the Gold by Jonathan Van Ness

So anyone who knows me knows that I am a HUGE fan of the Netflix series, Queer Eye.  It has been on heavy rotation during these crazy times because I am in need of positivity wherever I can find it, and it delivers.  I love the messages of being proud of who you are, embracing your uniqueness, promoting accomplishments, and coming together to celebrate our beautiful differences.  Now while I love all of the Fab Five, my favorite is Jonathan Van Ness.  He brings the sass, shine, and sparkle to everything he does.  He promotes the importance of self care while highlighting the value of self identity.  Jonathan identifies as non-binary.  Children's and young adult literature have been exploring that people come in a myriad of identities and educate in a way that is appropriate for different age and development levels.  When I learned that Jonathan was working on a picture book, I knew it was going to be something special.  It did not disappoint, and I am super bummed that storytimes aren't happening right now during this crazy pandemic because I would definitely be featuring this book in my programs.

Peanut Goes for the Gold by Jonathan Van Ness with pictures by Gillian Read tells the story of Peanut, a gender nonbinary guinea pig.  The very first line of the book introduces us by letting us know that "Peanut has their own way of doing things."  Immediately I thought of Jonathan telling people to live their best life.  Yaaassss!!!!  People sometimes don't understand Peanut or think that Peanut is weird, but they just keep on living and doing their thing.  Eventually some people join in the fun.  Much like Jonathan, Peanut's energy seems to be infectious.  Probably shouldn't use the word infectious right now.....  Anyway, Peanut has a big goal, and nothing is going to stop them.  Oh, Peanut!  I feel you!  I am the exact same way, and I can bet that a group of preschoolers has the same mindset!  Peanut wants to be a rhythmic gymnast.  They enlist the help of their family for costume, choreography, and music advice and practices everywhere around the clock.  I'm not going to tell you how it all turns out.  You have to read it and find out for yourself, but the main message is that Peanut does things 100% Peanut style!  Sounds a lot like Jonathan, huh?

This is Queer Eye love in picture book form, and the message is something I wish everyone could understand.