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My Shadow #2
My Shadow Is Purple
As featured on CNN, MSNBC, New York Post, The Daily Beast, The Washington Post , and more
My Dad has a shadow that’s blue as a berry, and my Mom's is as pink as a blossoming cherry. There’s only those choices, a 2 or a 1. But mine is quite different, it’s both and it’s none.
A heartwarming and inspiring book about being true to yourself and moving beyond the gender binary, by the bestselling author of My Shadow Is Pink.
My Dad has a shadow that’s blue as a berry, and my Mom's is as pink as a blossoming cherry. There’s only those choices, a 2 or a 1. But mine is quite different, it’s both and it’s none.
A heartwarming and inspiring book about being true to yourself and moving beyond the gender binary, by the bestselling author of My Shadow Is Pink.
32 pages, Hardcover
Published June 15, 2022
24 people are currently reading
746 people want to read
About the author
Scott Stuart
28 books98 followersScott Stuart is a best-selling children’s book author who is committed to creating content that empowers kids. His books have appeared on numerous best-seller lists, as well as being shortlisted for ABIA Children’s Book of the Year and CBCA Notable Picture Book of the Year.
His empowering messages have been seen over 100 million times on Social Media, and he is a leading voice on fully accepting and empowering our children, exactly as they are.
His empowering messages have been seen over 100 million times on Social Media, and he is a leading voice on fully accepting and empowering our children, exactly as they are.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 305 reviews
May 18, 2022
I found a TikTok where the author read the whole thing.
I have no kids, I'm not non-binary, but I'm still crying because there is nothing better and lovelier than acceptance! It's imperative that children learn that.
This book is so important ❤️ so glad I found it.
And the art is adorable!
I have no kids, I'm not non-binary, but I'm still crying because there is nothing better and lovelier than acceptance! It's imperative that children learn that.
This book is so important ❤️ so glad I found it.
And the art is adorable!
September 3, 2022
“No colour’s stronger and no colour’s weak.”
“My Mum made my skirt, and my Dad made my suit."
🥺🥺🥺
August 9, 2022
These are the cutest books ever!
I absolutely adore the message of love and acceptance in these books. They're also perfect for children as an introduction to the LGBTQIA+ community.
I really hope we get more in this series... Maybe exploring not only gender and sexuality, but also different disabilities!
I absolutely adore the message of love and acceptance in these books. They're also perfect for children as an introduction to the LGBTQIA+ community.
I really hope we get more in this series... Maybe exploring not only gender and sexuality, but also different disabilities!
August 7, 2022
idk i feel like this just promotes the idea that some stuff is only meant for boys and some stuff for girls and if you don’t agree with that there’s something fundamentally different about you.
August 11, 2022
Stereotypes, stereotypes, stereotypes
October 31, 2022
(4.5 stars)
This book is super cute and I adored it so so much. I do agree, though, with a review below me that highlights that the text does somehow break and conform to stereotypical gender identities through the idea that blue is for boys and pink is for girls, but this is a kids book. It's fine. It breaks a lot of boundaries that needed to be broken. It's great. Enjoy it for what it is.
This book is super cute and I adored it so so much. I do agree, though, with a review below me that highlights that the text does somehow break and conform to stereotypical gender identities through the idea that blue is for boys and pink is for girls, but this is a kids book. It's fine. It breaks a lot of boundaries that needed to be broken. It's great. Enjoy it for what it is.
July 31, 2022
The author showed and read it on TikTok.
July 15, 2022
a short lovely story on non-binary identities, loved it so much and it’s so nice to see stories like this for kids <3
August 11, 2022
An incredibly wholesome love letter to nonbinary kids.
August 11, 2022
For the baby enbies! Very cute.
October 6, 2022
My Shadow is Purple is a rhyming text about how everyone is unique and being yourself.
Although the main message is about breaking gender norms I think this book takes it a step further.
Dad's shadow is blue and Mum's shadow is pink, both of these stereotypical colour-gender relationships are described beautifully through how the child knows others see the world.
But the child is confident that although Mum is pink, she is still strong, and although Dad is blue he is still caring. This is such a lovely message and it is wonderful that from the beginning of the book the child is happy with and understands their purple shadow. It is just normal for them, rather than usual journey from shyness/fear to happy/confident we often see in books.
The bright, happy pictures show the joy on the child's face and the superhero stance really gives off the sense of confidence and belonging, no matter what they are playing with or talking about their shadow.
Where purple is the colour throughout - blending the male blue and the female pink in an assumed gender neutral purple - the reader assumes the book is about accepting gender neutrality. However, in a surprise twist at the end of the book we are introduced to children with orange, yellow, green and all sorts of colour shadows. This brings in the idea of individuality and really breaks down the ideas of gender-neutrality, gender binary systems, and colour-gender associations. Each reader appears to take their own things away from these colours in an exciting way.
This book has really stayed with me, and I look forward to more in the My Shadow is... series.
Although the main message is about breaking gender norms I think this book takes it a step further.
Dad's shadow is blue and Mum's shadow is pink, both of these stereotypical colour-gender relationships are described beautifully through how the child knows others see the world.
But the child is confident that although Mum is pink, she is still strong, and although Dad is blue he is still caring. This is such a lovely message and it is wonderful that from the beginning of the book the child is happy with and understands their purple shadow. It is just normal for them, rather than usual journey from shyness/fear to happy/confident we often see in books.
The bright, happy pictures show the joy on the child's face and the superhero stance really gives off the sense of confidence and belonging, no matter what they are playing with or talking about their shadow.
Where purple is the colour throughout - blending the male blue and the female pink in an assumed gender neutral purple - the reader assumes the book is about accepting gender neutrality. However, in a surprise twist at the end of the book we are introduced to children with orange, yellow, green and all sorts of colour shadows. This brings in the idea of individuality and really breaks down the ideas of gender-neutrality, gender binary systems, and colour-gender associations. Each reader appears to take their own things away from these colours in an exciting way.
This book has really stayed with me, and I look forward to more in the My Shadow is... series.
March 26, 2023
A young person enjoys things that are stereotypically enjoyed by either girls or boys. Their mom does too. So does their dad.
They each have a shadow. The father's is blue. The mother's is pink. The child's is purple.
When a dance party is announced, the young person wants to attend, but they must make a choice on which group to pick. Will they find anyone else like them or will they be ostracized and not allowed at the party?
A wonderful story of affirmation, identity, supportive parents, others who may be different, those who are LGBTQIA2+, written and illustrated perfectly by Scott Stuart, showcasing the broad emotional and mental depth of this child's circumstances. I also greatly appreciate how Stuart drew the father (many books still sadly depict men as strong and tough, and while Stuart does address this and given that the father is a big burly bearded man, he still is more than just his shadow stereotype.)
This would make a great storytime or read-aloud with kids. What color would you want your shadow to be? Pink, Blue, Purple or something else?
They each have a shadow. The father's is blue. The mother's is pink. The child's is purple.
When a dance party is announced, the young person wants to attend, but they must make a choice on which group to pick. Will they find anyone else like them or will they be ostracized and not allowed at the party?
A wonderful story of affirmation, identity, supportive parents, others who may be different, those who are LGBTQIA2+, written and illustrated perfectly by Scott Stuart, showcasing the broad emotional and mental depth of this child's circumstances. I also greatly appreciate how Stuart drew the father (many books still sadly depict men as strong and tough, and while Stuart does address this and given that the father is a big burly bearded man, he still is more than just his shadow stereotype.)
This would make a great storytime or read-aloud with kids. What color would you want your shadow to be? Pink, Blue, Purple or something else?
July 16, 2022
so sweet, the book to read to your kids to turn them into lil gay communists (for legal reasons ofc this is a joke)
July 23, 2022
Wow. W O W
Zostawię Wam link do Tik Toka, na którym autor czyta tę historię: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMNQK2oXJ/
Zostawię Wam link do Tik Toka, na którym autor czyta tę historię: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMNQK2oXJ/
January 16, 2023
Still in tiktok
May 7, 2025
“Some of my friends just think I’m simply confused. But the thing I love most is not having to choose.”
This is a message I can get behind, 100%. I love that the message is to be uniquely ourselves without having to label everything.
It’s a nice message, but the unspoken message is a very complicated answer to a different problem. Rather than challenging gender roles, our current approach is to solidifying the “male”/“female” stereotypes and then give every nuanced version of those stereotypes a new label. The child asks, “why choose” when the less complicated question could be “who says?” Who says girls can’t be strong and boys can’t be emotional?
The new message to our children is: don’t be basic like those “girls” and “boys”. Be nuanced. Find a new label whose stereotypes and culture better define you.
Life is complicated enough for these kids. Bringing up this topic at picture-book aged kids honestly feels like it is more for the parents than it is for the kids. They are barely learning how to read. They don’t even understand gender stereotypes yet. Why? Why? Why do we need to complicate everything for them?
This is a message I can get behind, 100%. I love that the message is to be uniquely ourselves without having to label everything.
It’s a nice message, but the unspoken message is a very complicated answer to a different problem. Rather than challenging gender roles, our current approach is to solidifying the “male”/“female” stereotypes and then give every nuanced version of those stereotypes a new label. The child asks, “why choose” when the less complicated question could be “who says?” Who says girls can’t be strong and boys can’t be emotional?
The new message to our children is: don’t be basic like those “girls” and “boys”. Be nuanced. Find a new label whose stereotypes and culture better define you.
Life is complicated enough for these kids. Bringing up this topic at picture-book aged kids honestly feels like it is more for the parents than it is for the kids. They are barely learning how to read. They don’t even understand gender stereotypes yet. Why? Why? Why do we need to complicate everything for them?
September 19, 2022
Da maestra d’elementari e asilo, non credo che per i bambini possa essere chiaro il paragone tra ombre colorate e sessualità, ma apprezzo comunque lo sforzo di trattare un tema del genere anche con i più piccoli
May 18, 2022
Yes, Challenge those gender roles!!!!
September 27, 2023
love some enby pride
June 30, 2024
I feel like I have a lot to say about this book. I agree (to an extent) with some of the criticisms in other reviews, but still really enjoyed the story and reading it to kids. (I don't have the book in front of me as I write this so please forgive any errors in the quotes! I'm going from memory lol.)
First of all, of course the use of pink to represent girls and blue to represent boys is not ideal, but I acknowledge that it's hard to avoid when the whole story hinges on colours as representing genders. And there is a bit of reinforcing gender stereotypes going on, e.g. the pages about liking things liked by girls and things liked by boys, and about dancing with the pinks and playing sport with the blues.
But there's also some challenging of those stereotypes; I especially loved the page where some said they must be blue because "only blue can be strong. But my mom's strong too, so I think they're wrong." And then that they must be pink because "pink's the most caring. But Dad's always crying, and loving, and sharing." Dad has a blue shadow and Mom has a pink shadow, but they aren't limited to the traits associated with their genders.
I LOVE when the character with the yellow shadow shows up. I love how they aren't obviously androgynous, and say that from the outside blue fits like a glove. It's so nice to see in a picture book that there are different looks for non-binary people, and also that not all non-binary people are "purple" as in a mix of blue and pink, or between blue and pink. Yellow is just a totally different colour. This is my favourite part of the story!
But then, right after that, all the other coloured shadows start popping up, and I admit that the metaphor gets fuzzy for me. Like I love the idea that there are many different colours of shadows, but statistically a room of random people is not going to have everyone be a different one?? Like up to this point it felt like the colour of your shadow was your gender, right? But then at the end I was asking, so is everyone here non-binary?? It kinda felt like there was a shift to just a message about people being unique. Which is a nice message, but isn't exactly the one we started with.
Overall, I enjoyed the story, and so did the kids. It has great illustrations, and a really nice rhythm and rhyming scheme. A lot of kids didn't really pick up on the whole gender aspect lol, but that's pretty typical, especially when it's not explicitly stated. It's a welcome addition to the library collection, and I'll probably try out My Shadow Is Pink next school year!
First of all, of course the use of pink to represent girls and blue to represent boys is not ideal, but I acknowledge that it's hard to avoid when the whole story hinges on colours as representing genders. And there is a bit of reinforcing gender stereotypes going on, e.g. the pages about liking things liked by girls and things liked by boys, and about dancing with the pinks and playing sport with the blues.
But there's also some challenging of those stereotypes; I especially loved the page where some said they must be blue because "only blue can be strong. But my mom's strong too, so I think they're wrong." And then that they must be pink because "pink's the most caring. But Dad's always crying, and loving, and sharing." Dad has a blue shadow and Mom has a pink shadow, but they aren't limited to the traits associated with their genders.
I LOVE when the character with the yellow shadow shows up. I love how they aren't obviously androgynous, and say that from the outside blue fits like a glove. It's so nice to see in a picture book that there are different looks for non-binary people, and also that not all non-binary people are "purple" as in a mix of blue and pink, or between blue and pink. Yellow is just a totally different colour. This is my favourite part of the story!
But then, right after that, all the other coloured shadows start popping up, and I admit that the metaphor gets fuzzy for me. Like I love the idea that there are many different colours of shadows, but statistically a room of random people is not going to have everyone be a different one?? Like up to this point it felt like the colour of your shadow was your gender, right? But then at the end I was asking, so is everyone here non-binary?? It kinda felt like there was a shift to just a message about people being unique. Which is a nice message, but isn't exactly the one we started with.
Overall, I enjoyed the story, and so did the kids. It has great illustrations, and a really nice rhythm and rhyming scheme. A lot of kids didn't really pick up on the whole gender aspect lol, but that's pretty typical, especially when it's not explicitly stated. It's a welcome addition to the library collection, and I'll probably try out My Shadow Is Pink next school year!
October 3, 2023
A teacher in Georgia is facing termination for reading this picture book to her class.
I disagree with this view that enjoying gendered activities (such as ballet or soccer, in the book) makes someone more or less of a girl or a boy. I'd prefer a book that said that girls and boys can enjoy whatever they want, gender roles are a social construct, rather than a book that sends a message that not conforming to gender roles means a person is actually a mix of being a girl and a boy. But I certainly don't want a teacher to be fired for reading it.
I really liked the other book in this series, My Shadow Is Pink.
I disagree with this view that enjoying gendered activities (such as ballet or soccer, in the book) makes someone more or less of a girl or a boy. I'd prefer a book that said that girls and boys can enjoy whatever they want, gender roles are a social construct, rather than a book that sends a message that not conforming to gender roles means a person is actually a mix of being a girl and a boy. But I certainly don't want a teacher to be fired for reading it.
I really liked the other book in this series, My Shadow Is Pink.
July 3, 2023
This seems to highlight that sports and certain things are for boys and different things for girls. Children like to play with all sorts of toys and interests. That doesn't mean non binary, does it? Love the final message that we all are unique.
July 16, 2022
Este pequeño libro acerca de personas no binarias es la cosa más dulce y tierna que leerás, me saco una lagrima de lo bonito pero a la vez real que es. 10/10
August 3, 2022
הגעתי אליו דרך טיקטוק והאמת שהוא היה שווה את זה. ספר יפיפה. אני רוצה ילדים רק כדי שאוכל להקריא להם אותו ועוד ספרים בסגנון😹
July 5, 2023
What a wonderful and inclusive story in rhyme about being non-binary. It's a beautiful message that teaches children it's ok to be different. It encourages love and acceptance so they don't grow up fearing and hating people that aren't exactly like them.
I read the e-book on my phone but I bet the hardcover is gorgeous with those colorful illustrations. I'll be buying and gifting more copies in the future.
I don't have any small children at home, however, I immediately purchased the e-book and read it after learning a Georgia teacher is facing termination for reading it to her class.
I read the e-book on my phone but I bet the hardcover is gorgeous with those colorful illustrations. I'll be buying and gifting more copies in the future.
I don't have any small children at home, however, I immediately purchased the e-book and read it after learning a Georgia teacher is facing termination for reading it to her class.
March 31, 2023
My Dad has a shadow that’s blue as a berry, and my Mom's is as pink as a blossoming cherry. There’s only those choices, a 2 or a 1. But mine is quite different, it’s both and it’s none. A heartwarming and inspiring book about being true to yourself and moving beyond the gender binary, by best-selling children's book creator Scott Stuart.
A beautiful picture book that explains gender diversity and that it is okay not to fit in.
A beautiful picture book that explains gender diversity and that it is okay not to fit in.
July 3, 2025
I got this book in the Queer bookstore in Alkmaar when my mum’s friends Mary, Maša and Dominik came over from Germany and Slovenia. We read the book this morning, I am 8 weeks old today!
I really liked all the beautiful illustrations and I love the message behind the story, about all the different coloured shadows. It makes you feel confident and stay true to yourself and all the things you like.
I really liked all the beautiful illustrations and I love the message behind the story, about all the different coloured shadows. It makes you feel confident and stay true to yourself and all the things you like.
September 9, 2023
2023 September Reading Challenge
Prompt: read a banned book
So I couldn't find a clear explanation as to why this was banned, but from what I can glean this was banned for "promoting sexual identity and teaching controversial topics".
Also, a teacher got fired for reading this.
Which is dumb and I hope the rest of the internet can agree on. And if you don't and you think this book should be banned, you're wrong, you're ignorant, and you need to re-evaluate your life choices.
This is a book about accepting who you are and understanding that you are not beholden to gender binary nonsense. You should be free to enjoy and express yourself however way you want and others can stuff it if they don't like it. It is positive, it is important, and it is very charming. Be who you want to be, live they way you want to live, and enjoy what you want to enjoy. Its that simple.
Prompt: read a banned book
So I couldn't find a clear explanation as to why this was banned, but from what I can glean this was banned for "promoting sexual identity and teaching controversial topics".
Also, a teacher got fired for reading this.
Which is dumb and I hope the rest of the internet can agree on. And if you don't and you think this book should be banned, you're wrong, you're ignorant, and you need to re-evaluate your life choices.
This is a book about accepting who you are and understanding that you are not beholden to gender binary nonsense. You should be free to enjoy and express yourself however way you want and others can stuff it if they don't like it. It is positive, it is important, and it is very charming. Be who you want to be, live they way you want to live, and enjoy what you want to enjoy. Its that simple.
July 4, 2023
♥️♥️ värmer mitt icke-binära hjärta
February 3, 2024
most adults need to read this too
Displaying 1 - 30 of 305 reviews