Let's Read Banned Books! Peanut Goes for the Gold by Jonathan Van Ness

 

Synopsis:

Jonathan Van Ness, the star of Netflix's hit show Queer Eye, brings his signature humor and positivity to his empowering first picture book, inspiring readers of all ages to love being exactly who they are.

Peanut Goes for the Gold is a charming, funny, and heartfelt picture book that follows the adventures of Peanut, a gender nonbinary guinea pig who does everything with their own personal flare.

Peanut just has their own unique way of doing things. Whether it's cartwheeling during basketball practice or cutting their own hair, this little guinea pig puts their own special twist on life. So when Peanut decides to be a rhythmic gymnast, they come up with a routine that they know is absolutely perfect, because it is absolutely, one hundred percent Peanut.

This upbeat and hilarious picture book, inspired by Jonathan's own childhood guinea pig, encourages children to not just be themselves―but to boldly and unapologetically love being themselves.

Jonathan Van Ness brings his signature message of warmth, positivity, and self-love to this boldly original picture book that celebrates the joys of being true to yourself and the magic that comes from following your dreams.

Our Thoughts:

I saw this book on the list of banned books compiled by Pen America. My first grader has been asking for a book about guinea pigs, and this sounded like a very cute title, so I bought a copy. 

And we LOVE it! We read it once together, and then my daughter read it to our own guinea pig (and a few of our kittens) twice for "pet story time." We talked briefly about how Peanut is non-binary, but to be honest, she was more interested in their gymnastic routine and how they were able to succeed at their goals. 

The illustrations are adorable, and appropriately frenetic. 

Have you read this picture book? What did you think?