However, other aspects of the story feel lost in translation. I’m delighted to see drag culture making its way into another picture book, and the core theme, finding confidence by being your authentic self, is always one worth exploring, especially for audiences that may include young LGBTQ+ readers. Can Wig find her inner confidence in time for the big competition?Īn ambitious tale with an unfortunately mixed message. B.’s head and the stage to take cover in the crowd. Initially, she grows with pride, but when she sees the other wigs that she’s up against, she begins to feel anxious and “wigs out”, fleeing B. Bedazzle, and is excited to help her queen compete in the Big Wig Ball drag contest.

Meet Wig, a vibrant magenta Dolly Parton-inspired bouffant. Kobo eBook (February 21st, 2022): $10.Hello, friends! Our book today is Big Wig, written by Jonathan Hillman and illustrated by Levi Hastings, a story of finding one’s inner fabulousity.Juvenile Fiction / Social Themes / Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance.Juvenile Fiction / Diversity & Multicultural.Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books Levi Hastings is the illustrator of Mayor Pete: The Story of Pete Buttigieg by Rob Sanders and The Spirit of Springer by Amanda Abler, about which The New York Times raved, “This beautiful book tells a suspenseful, heartrending true story.” Levi lives in Seattle with his husband. He lives near Minneapolis, Minnesota, with his two cats. His essay and poems are featured in the Fat & Queer anthology, and he is the author of picture books Big Wig and The Wishing Machine. Jonathan Hillman is a graduate of Hamline University’s Writing for Children and Young Adults (MFAC) program, where he received the Walden Pond Press Scholarship for Excellence in Middle Grade Fiction. And it goes further than that, acknowledging that sometimes dressing differently from what might be expected is how we become our truest and best selves. This wonderful read aloud celebrates the universal childhood experience of dressing up and the confidence that comes with putting on a costume. B.’s head, she goes from kid to kid instilling confidence and inspiring dreams in those who wear her: Together they are an unstoppable drag queen team! But Wig feels inadequate compared to the other, bigger wigs. When a child dresses in drag to compete in a neighborhood costume competition, he becomes B. In the spirit of Julián Is a Mermaid, this irrepressible picture book celebrates drag kids, individuality, and self-confidence from the perspective of a fabulous wig!

Big Wig by Jonathan Hillman