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S. Bear Bergman

Backwards Day Paperback – Illustrated, January 1, 2012

by S. Bear Bergman (Author), KD Diamond (Illustrator)

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BACKWARDS DAY, set on the planet Tenalp, introduces us to a world where there are seventeen seasons, including one where bubblegum falls from the sky for three days and a single day when everything - everything everywhere - is backwards. Andrea looks eagerly forward to Backwards Day every year, so she can turn into a boy for the day. But one year she doesn't turn along with everyone else. She's miserable. The very next day, however, she turns into a boy - and stays that way! He's delighted, but his parents are distressed, and take him to the big city to consult with Backwardsologists. When they finally figure out what's happened, the miracles of Backwards Day are fully revealed to the reader.

Print length

34 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Flamingo Rampant
Publication date

January 1, 2012
ISBN-10

0987976311
ISBN-13

978-0987976314
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Kyle Lukoff
253
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Sarah Hoffman
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Jessica Love
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Jessica Walton
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S. Bear Bergman
16
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Jessica Love
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S. Bear Bergman
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Flamingo Rampant (January 1, 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 34 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0987976311
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0987976314
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8 ounces

Customer Reviews:
12 ratings

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S. Bear Bergman

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S. Bear Bergman is a multiple award winning author, storyteller and performer. After publishing six books, touring the US and Canada as a storyteller, winning audience choice awards at three consecutive US Gay & Lesbian Theatre Festivals, Bear has settled in to a life of mild-mannered parent by day and foul-mouthed Bad Fairy emcee by night. He also tells touching queer stories about home and family, gives stirring trans-pride talks to rouse a crowd, and enjoys finishing the day of work with a microphone in on hand and a brunet (preferably his husband) in the other.

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2 star		38%
1 star		14%

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Jacqueline Vaughn

Message not conveyed clearly enough for kids to understand

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 1, 2021

Verified Purchase

I support the message that this book is trying to convey, but was disappointed with my purchase. The illustrations are not very good. It’s poorly written, contains a typo, and misses the mark for helping kids to understand this sensitive subject.

Helpful

anonymous

Don't Hold Yer Breath: New "Radical" and "Gender-Independent" Kids Books Disappoint

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 8, 2012

The Adventures of Tulip: Birthday Wish Fairy and Backwards Day both do pretty much jack s**t to deconstruct the gender binary. The characters featured in each book fall right in line with the classic, gender binary, assimilationist narrative we hear all.the.time about transgender children and people. The stories that are most often told to "explain" the existence of trans folks love to include things about "being stuck in the wrong body"; the transgender identity existing since an extremely young age; the "signs" of being transgender are the desire to or actual participation in "opposite" gender activities, clothing, etc; most often, a professional deems a child (or adult) transgender and they are officially diagnosed with GID before a family even comes close to truly "embracing" the person and realizing their gender expression and identity is not, in fact, a "phase." I think we're all pretty familiar with the Trans 101.

So what is Flamingo Rampant doing to deconstruct the Trans 101 and shed a little more complexity, humanity, and push back to the mainstream narrative around gender identity that is fundamentally transphobic? Ummm... I don't really know.

I expected a "gender independent" kid to star in these new books. Ya know, a kid with a good dose of gender queerness. There's nothing queer about these books, though. In Backwards Day, we've got Andy, who "loved fishing and exploring and playing baseball, and almost all her friends were boys." Doesn't get much more stereotypical than that. Andy lives in a gender binary world (such a gender binary world, it appears, that women don't ever wear suits or wear work coveralls) and, through the magic that can happen in children's books, ends up physically transitioning overnight. The change in appearance is what really makes Andy happy, which is an extremely problematic message to send to young readers. While the book doesn't say Andy hormonally transitions, it essentially sends the message that the "happy ending" for trans kids is when they "pass" and are biologically different (Andy previously wore "male" clothing and had short hair, but is portrayed as being only truly happy and himself after he becomes a biological male). Hormonally transitioning is only one way in a myriad of ways that trans and genderqueer folks sometimes use to express their gender. Hormonally transitioning is not accessible for most trans children, and hormonal transitions are definitely not desired by all trans-identified people. Andy's story plays out as predictably as the "So when are you getting the sex change surgery?" question. He is taken to see a doctor, who confirms his gender identity. Perhaps this part of the plot was a conscious choice on the behalf of the author, meant to comfort young audiences who are used to being paraded around to different school psychologists, family doctors, and transgender "specialists." For those whose families haven't yet gone down this degrading path, though, wouldn't it be more radical to model a family response that doesn't include all the pathologizing? Wouldn't it be great to finally see a children's book where a family's first response to their trans kid is "I love you," instead of rushing off to see a professional for a diagnosis?

So this is great, you can spend sixteen bucks on a "radical" kid's book that just perpetuates gender stereotypes. Whoohoo. Both of these books don't offer anything in the way of a critical understanding of gender identity. They'd lead you to believe that if you've been assigned "female" at birth and you like to play sports, you're probably trans. Or if you were assigned "male" at birth and love ballet, you better head on over to family doc and get your diagnosis now, cuz everyone can see you're trans from a mile away. These lines of logic simply are not true, and they're not helpful as we try to deconstruct the gender binary that harms all children, not just the ones who are gender non-conforming.

There are SO few children's books with transgender main characters. Why couldn't S. Bear Bergman write one that models a trans kid who is genderqueer and has no interest in "passing" or assimilating into binary gender? Why isn't there a story about a kid who doesn't have to "out" themselves as trans...where there's a family that is already attuned to gender diversity and nurtures it from the get-go? Or for god sakes, how about a book about trans kids that doesn't feature a heterosexual, nuclear family? Where's the plot line that models all the kids in a realistic family (cis and trans and otherwise) casually talking about gender, instead of staring depressingly at a mirror or relying on supernatural interventions to initiate things? Well, I guess there is already a book sort of like this, but its author didn't have over $18,000 from a kickstarter campaign and the popularity from the professional "radical queer" community backing it, so it's still stuck in zine-form over at Microcosm Publishing (He, Her, Him: Free, Fer, Frim by Adrian Prawns Sinclair).

If you're wanting some bedtime material for your kiddo about gender, save your money and just tell `em stories about real life people instead...people who have had support, who have survived, who are gorgeous and sit on neither end of the supposed spectrum. If you don't know any of these kinds of people, call me up and I'll help you out. I'd rather tell your trans kid they're as amazing and beautiful as every other kid on this planet than tell them what they're feeling is as sensational as having opposites day actually come true, and stay true.

28 people found this helpful

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Monica Burton

Book Review for Children's Lit on CPSB

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 6, 2020

Backwards Day by Bear Bergman caught my eye when researching Children's Picture Storybooks for a book review assignment for my online Children's Literature class. At first glance, the book had an intriguing cover and seemed interested. I investigated it more and loved the formatting of text. Once I read the book, I learned that it offered so much great information on hard topics like acceptance and hope for our world. This book is a fabulous example of how to encourage students to be understanding of others with differences. It also helps children see the need for acceptance. As an adult and teacher, this book offered a unique perspective into a child's eyes of being different. In today's world, there are so many things a child CAN be, but also, so many things they CANNOT be. They cannot wear certain things, they cannot act a certain way, and they cannot hang out with certain people. Children hear so many "no's" in their life, and this book shows children that someway, somehow, they may hear "yes," and they can be who they want to be one day. Backwards Day shows that if we are so different or backwards than those around us, then it is still okay to be accepting and friendly to those people. The world is made of many different people with different backgrounds, feelings, and personalities. We must embrace them all.

One person found this helpful

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Mary A.

This book

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 24, 2018

I do NOT recommend this book to any child that is gender non conforming it is heartbreaking and is not helpful. Here are some alternative books

Bunny Bear
Red
The Witch Boy
George
Magnus Chase & the Guards of Asgard
Lizard Radio
Beyond Magenta

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Kyle

The kid in me cried.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 6, 2012

When I was a child everyday felt like backwards day. I wished and prayed to feel like something wasn't wrong with me. I had no role models, I had no one to talk to, and any expression of "boy-ness" was shot down with frills and earrings. I quickly learned to keep my mouth shut and do my best to "fit". At twenty-two I finally found a way to be...me. When I read Backwards Day I about started crying thinking about the kids who would have the wonderful joy of reading a book such as this. The kids who are currently fighting to be themselves in a world that tells them they cannot. I so appreciate this book and I think it should be in every elementary school classroom, in every library, and a requirement for all parents. It's a beautiful story with a wonderful message that delivers hope and acceptance in an amazing way. The other aspect of this book I loved is that the characters are a variety of colors which I think speaks volumes to the multitude of folks and children who exist in our world. Thank you for writing this, thank you for publishing it, and thank you from the child I once was who wanted something, anything, that showed I was okay as me.

19 people found this helpful

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Arjuna Greist

!evol

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 4, 2012

Backwards Day is one forward-thinking book! Fun and engaging, with inventive illustrations, we travel with a young person whose magical planet knows how to set things right, when the molecular structure he was born with needs revamping, and his family needs to learn about what it really means to be backwards. His teacher, doctor, and friends all see that the only thing that's changed about Andy is how happy and comfortable he is when he can be himself.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Garrett

Great children's book

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 7, 2012

Bergman's new children's book is a gem. The story is engaging, the illustrations are bold and colorful, and the text opens the door for a lot of fruitful discussions in language that kids can understand. I highly recommend this for any child. As a trans step-parent, I look forward to sharing this with my step-children and seeing what conversation it creates.

4 people found this helpful

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Backwards Day Paperback – Illustrated, January 1, 2012

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