Well, the title does give the plot away somewhat, but the book
is a delight to read.
David Walliams is a popular British actor in the UK, and is a
co-creator of the popular ‘Little Britain’ seen on British television -- where
he and Matt Lucas are renowned for their comical female characters, but not always presenting the Trans Community in a good light.
David has turned his attention to books aimed at children -- and
the topics cover a range of issues that are not often broached in this market.
His first book ‘Boy in the Dress’ sets the trend for his other novels in its
simple story line, introducing diverse issues with a humor that both children
and adults can appreciate.
The story follows a young boy who is from a single parent
family. It fortells his daily struggles to survive in school while his father
works as a lorry driver to support the family, all the while emotionally
scarred of losing his wife, finding solace in binge eating.
Our 12-year old hero is a star player on the school football
team but has no support from home, and misses his mother.
He buys a copy of Vogue magazine that has a picture of a dress
similar to the one his mother used to wear, but suffers the wrath of his father
when the magazine is discovered and endures taunts from his brother, calling
him Denise in place of Dennis.
On the same day, after his kick sends the football flying
through the headmaster's window, Dennis is kept after school as punishment and
meets Lisa. When Lisa finds that they both are interested in fashion, she
invites Dennis to her house and eventually gets him to agree to be dressed in a
lovely blue dress she has made, and the adventures begin…
The story touches on a range of modern issues, with diversity
and inclusion at its core. Some of the characters are from other cultures found
in Britain and have a key part in the book explaining some of the cultural
differences.
The main focus of the book however is on crossdressing, but the
subject is never named other than ‘wearing a dress’.
Terms like transvestite, transgender, drag etc. do not find
mention anywhere in the story and I think that this is a significant positive
feature of the book.
A child is not going to worry about a label to signify a
particular trait, they are going to ‘say it as they see it’, so by having a
story that keeps to simple visual vocabulary the reader can identify with the
main character without any stigma being attached.
The majority of the characters have inbuilt flaws, such as the
father’s anger at his wife leaving them, and this builds an intricate
surroundings which many readers can identify with as being realistic.
The story is a little gem and introduces crossdressing in a
positive, non-judgmental way, showing the reader that it can be acceptable to
crossdress if they feel that they would like to and, as you would expect,
provides a happy ending.
Overall I feel that this presents a positive message for the Trans community and may help redress the balance slightly, of the comical portrayal from the television series.
It may be useful to parents who are looking for a way to
introduce the subject to younger children as a way of bringing the subject into
conversation through discussions about the book.
ISBN Harper and Collins, paperback, audio book and kindle
Written by Dawn Wyvern 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment