X: A Fabulous Child's Story facts for kids
The picture book's cover
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| Author | Lois Gould |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Jacqueline Chwast |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre |
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| Publisher | Ms. (short story) Daughters Publishing (picture book) |
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Publication date
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December 1972 (short story) July 18, 1978 (picture book) |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 52 |
| ISBN | 9780913780213 |
| OCLC | 4499675 |
X: A Fabulous Child's Story is a special book written by Lois Gould. It first appeared as a short story in Ms. magazine in 1972. Later, in 1978, it became a picture book with drawings by Jacqueline Chwast.
The story is about a child named X. X is part of an experiment. Only X's parents and some scientists know if X is a boy or a girl. Everyone else, including X's friends, does not know. The book explores what happens when a child is raised without typical gender roles.
People liked X: A Fabulous Child's Story because it made them think. It also had clever writing. Some people wondered if the story truly changed ideas about gender roles. This book is sometimes seen as an early example for later children's books about transgender characters. It has been printed in many collections of stories. The story even inspired a real experiment in 1975. In 2016, it was made into a short animated film.
Contents
The Story of Baby X
A Secret Experiment
The book starts with a baby born as part of a science experiment. This baby is called Baby X. No one outside the experiment knows if Baby X is a boy or a girl.
Baby X is adopted by Ms. and Mr. Jones. They promise to raise X without using traditional ideas about what boys or girls should do. This means they will not tell X what toys to play with or what clothes to wear based on gender.
Growing Up Different
The Jones family raises X by mixing toys and clothes. X plays with dolls and trucks. X wears clothes that are for both boys and girls. This helps X grow up without being put into a "boy" or "girl" box.
When X starts school, the other kids try to figure out X's gender. But they cannot. X is very good at everything in school. X is also kind and caring to all classmates. Because of X, the other children start to think differently about gender roles too.
Parents Get Worried
The parents of X's classmates become worried. They tell their children not to play with X. They hold a meeting for the Parents' Association. At this meeting, they decide that experts must examine X. They want to know if X is okay.
A group of experts examines X. They announce that X is perfectly healthy. They say X is also well-adjusted and happy. The experts tell the parents that X's gender will be known one day.
X's Impact on Others
The Parents' Association does not like the experts' decision. But they agree to it. They let their children play with X again. The children visit X later. They find X playing with a new baby sibling, Baby Y.
