Queer Ducks (and Other Animals) by Eliot Schrefer

 

Queer Ducks (and Other Animals)

by Eliot Schrefer

Printz Honor Book

Summary:

        Queer Ducks (and Other Animals) is a riveting nonfiction that will grip teen readers by fascinating them with information about the animal kingdom and challenging their bias about heterosexuality. Inside the pages of this book, students will find information about animals, sexuality, and how it relates to the humanity in all of us.

Justification:

        Schrefer's book is a great one to include in any nonfiction collection. It is informational in many ways. Yes, it informs the readers about animal sexuality, but underneath it all is this underlying message that homosexuality is natural, it is okay, and it should be celebrated. There is no doubt why it received the Printz Honor Award. 

Reader Response:

        I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I had no idea before reading this that homosexuality was so prevalent within the animal kingdom. Society has pushed the standard of men & women as the default for such a long time that no other option existed in my brain. This book was extremely eye-opening and gave me a lot of things to think about in regards to societal norms, internal biases, and my understanding of the natural world. I also really appreciated how the author gave a brief spiel on the different terms he would be using throughout the book, why he chose them, and what they mean. It really highlighted that information can be shared while still being sensitive to the communities that they include, which in this case, is the LGBTQ+ community. 

Schrefer, E., & Zuckerberg, J. (2022). Queer Ducks (and other animals): The natural world of Animal Sexuality. Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.