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Auntie Uncle: Drag Queen Hero
Told from the perspective of their adoring nephew, Auntie Uncle: Drag Queen Hero is the story of a courageous drag queen who saves the day, and brings two communities together.
The young narrator thinks it's awesome that his Uncle and his Auntie are the same person. Uncle Leo is an accountant, and is great at helping with math homework. Auntie Lotta is a fabulous performer, and loves to sing and dance with her nephew. One day Lotta's family comes to watch her perform at the local Pride parade. Suddenly, a dog breaks free of its leash and nearly causes a float-crash, but Lotta springs into action just in time to save the dog and the parade. The mayor wants to give her a medal for courage and to throw a big party for her and all her friends, but Lotta worries that her friends who only know him as "Leo" won't get along with her fellow drag performers who know her as "Lotta." With the help of their nephew they put together a fierce look that is both Leo and Lotta, the perfect ensemble for an Auntie Uncle. A sweet, uplifting story about fearlessley letting your true self shine.
The young narrator thinks it's awesome that his Uncle and his Auntie are the same person. Uncle Leo is an accountant, and is great at helping with math homework. Auntie Lotta is a fabulous performer, and loves to sing and dance with her nephew. One day Lotta's family comes to watch her perform at the local Pride parade. Suddenly, a dog breaks free of its leash and nearly causes a float-crash, but Lotta springs into action just in time to save the dog and the parade. The mayor wants to give her a medal for courage and to throw a big party for her and all her friends, but Lotta worries that her friends who only know him as "Leo" won't get along with her fellow drag performers who know her as "Lotta." With the help of their nephew they put together a fierce look that is both Leo and Lotta, the perfect ensemble for an Auntie Uncle. A sweet, uplifting story about fearlessley letting your true self shine.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2020
3 people are currently reading
287 people want to read
About the author
Ellie Royce
9 books16 followersAuntie Uncle: Drag Queen Hero is out now!
New picture book coming early 2021 with Ford St. Publishing.
Ellie Royce was born in Adelaide, South Australia and she's been telling stories ever since.
Ellie is the author of four books for children. Her new picture book "Auntie Uncle Drag Queen Hero" was published by POW! Kids in April 2020 . Ellie has another picture book due in 2021 with Ford Street Publishing.
Ellie truly believes in the power of stories to change the world for the better, so she writes and reads them all the time (quite often when she should be doing other things!).
These days Ellie lives in Northern New South Wales Australia and plans to keep writing visionary stories for kids and young adults forever.
New picture book coming early 2021 with Ford St. Publishing.
Ellie Royce was born in Adelaide, South Australia and she's been telling stories ever since.
Ellie is the author of four books for children. Her new picture book "Auntie Uncle Drag Queen Hero" was published by POW! Kids in April 2020 . Ellie has another picture book due in 2021 with Ford Street Publishing.
Ellie truly believes in the power of stories to change the world for the better, so she writes and reads them all the time (quite often when she should be doing other things!).
These days Ellie lives in Northern New South Wales Australia and plans to keep writing visionary stories for kids and young adults forever.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
May 1, 2020
One word: DANG
This is a really modern take on gender and how it is fluid. It is how Drag is not just "dressing up" but being who you are. The best part is how normal the situation is. Also, realistic. The child of the story is unsure if Leo's friends and Lotta's friends will like each other. While it might be a tad too much for the youngest crowd, all ages can find something about this book and enjoy it.
This is a really modern take on gender and how it is fluid. It is how Drag is not just "dressing up" but being who you are. The best part is how normal the situation is. Also, realistic. The child of the story is unsure if Leo's friends and Lotta's friends will like each other. While it might be a tad too much for the youngest crowd, all ages can find something about this book and enjoy it.
April 4, 2022
4,5/5
Finally, a perfect illustration of drag queens to help explain to youth!
Highly recommend it for young children and adolescents. Relevant insightful story for our times. The colorful and detailed illustrations really brought the story to life.
Finally, a perfect illustration of drag queens to help explain to youth!
Highly recommend it for young children and adolescents. Relevant insightful story for our times. The colorful and detailed illustrations really brought the story to life.
November 23, 2021
This book is a cute story. It's lighthearted for children about being yourself, but adults will likely see the bigger issue of coming out and/or integrating parts of yourself/your life that can be really difficult as a queer person. Also, the art is amazing with lots of neat bits in the details!
August 11, 2021
Gorgeous and sweet and so heartwarming!
January 16, 2023
Once again I was on tiktok IT JUST
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March 25, 2022
Lovely and inclusive story to teach the children, I like it very much, the illustration it's so cute and the story is amazing
October 2, 2020
An adorably illustrated book that depicts Drag in a positive light! It's a book packed with themes of community, acceptance, and embracing who you are. It's a delightful read and fun for all ages!
November 26, 2024
9'5/10
If anything, I wish it was longer! It was an absolutely adorable and a 10/10 children's book to introduce the topic of drag queen and gender. Really recommened as a Christmas gift for all the young fellows ♡
If anything, I wish it was longer! It was an absolutely adorable and a 10/10 children's book to introduce the topic of drag queen and gender. Really recommened as a Christmas gift for all the young fellows ♡
June 10, 2020
This book is so adorable and is much a love letter to Drag performers as it is to loving and embracing who you are.
May 11, 2021
The illustrations in this one are SUPER cute.
April 1, 2022
Muito adorável
April 18, 2022
So wholesome! Gorgeous art style and color choice
October 27, 2022
I love this 🥺😭♥️
March 23, 2022
A really cute story ♥️
September 10, 2020
Uncle Leo is good at math and friendly at work, Auntie Lotta is a singing and dancing drag queen who delights audiences on the weekends, and both of them come together to accept an award after Lotta saves a puppy at the Pride Parade. This well-constructed story does a great job of showing and celebrating the fluidity and fun of gender and how awesome it is when communities accept and celebrate people however their genders manifest.
Themes: Hero/ine, Pride, Gender, Fashion-Costumes-Outfits, Community
Age range: 3-7
Themes: Hero/ine, Pride, Gender, Fashion-Costumes-Outfits, Community
Age range: 3-7
July 16, 2020
Loved this great book about a kid's perspective on his Uncle Leo who is also his Auntie Lottie (and, after a brave rescue during a pride parade, becomes both at the same time to accept their award!) Loved seeing it through a kid's perspective, with awe and wonder and not really any didactic "lessons." Also appreciated that the mayor referred to Auntie Uncle as "they" when they were being Leo and Lottie at the same time. A subtle way to help kids see this simple pronoun switch as natural. I don't think I've seen another book that shows drag queens out of drag as members of a family. It's still nice to see a story that has gay people / drag personas in it without it being all about that. There's a story with action and a nice message of friends being accepting of both sides of Auntie Uncle. All around excellent.
July 25, 2020
Miss chose this for read out loud time at the library because she thought the dresses looked fabulous. We talked about how Uncle Leo liked to wear one type of clothes to work at the accountancy firm during the week and relax in different clothes on the weekend as Auntie Lotta with their friends. She was glad that all their friends celebrated with them at the end of the book.
Miss 5 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.
Miss 5 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.
April 24, 2020
A celebration of humanity and community, in all its variations. Love!
August 22, 2020
Okay I loved this one!
Read
December 22, 2020Having only read the PW blurb ("Told from the perspective of an adoring nephew, this book spotlights a courageous drag queen who saves the day by bringing two communities together.") I thought the plot was going to be about our protagonist's auntie uncle saved the day uniquely because of their being a drag queen. But actually, Auntie Lotta rescues a puppy during a Pride Parade and then struggles to decide in which persona to accept the award (because his dayjob work friends don't know about his drag persona and might not react well).
Our protagonist nibling (the child reads as a boy, but tells the story in first-person, and no one uses gendered language for them) suggests accepting the award as both, and while I enjoyed the illustrations throughout, I loved the illustrations of Uncle Leo/Auntie Lotta in a gender-bending persona.
I don't love drag queen Marti Gould Cummings' Introduction. "Drag is an art form that is rooted in activism and protest; a way to show the world that being different is beautiful. Drag is anything you want it to be. [...] There are no rules. Drag is simply a way to express yourself." While those statements are all technically true, they don't helpfully differentiate drag from playing dress-up or just choosing what you want to wear etc. Admittedly, I don't know how I would explain drag to kids (especially since there's a way in which it relies on binary gender norms).
I do appreciate how matter-of-fact and affirming our child protagonist is about their uncle's drag queen persona -- and drag queen community. "I love my Uncle Leo. He is good at math and he checks my numbers. He works in the city, checking other people's numbers. I love my Auntie Lotta. She sings and dances with me. On weekends, she sings and dances with her drag queen friends."
Our protagonist nibling (the child reads as a boy, but tells the story in first-person, and no one uses gendered language for them) suggests accepting the award as both, and while I enjoyed the illustrations throughout, I loved the illustrations of Uncle Leo/Auntie Lotta in a gender-bending persona.
I don't love drag queen Marti Gould Cummings' Introduction. "Drag is an art form that is rooted in activism and protest; a way to show the world that being different is beautiful. Drag is anything you want it to be. [...] There are no rules. Drag is simply a way to express yourself." While those statements are all technically true, they don't helpfully differentiate drag from playing dress-up or just choosing what you want to wear etc. Admittedly, I don't know how I would explain drag to kids (especially since there's a way in which it relies on binary gender norms).
I do appreciate how matter-of-fact and affirming our child protagonist is about their uncle's drag queen persona -- and drag queen community. "I love my Uncle Leo. He is good at math and he checks my numbers. He works in the city, checking other people's numbers. I love my Auntie Lotta. She sings and dances with me. On weekends, she sings and dances with her drag queen friends."
November 22, 2022
I do not understand the appeal of this book to so many reviewers here. Think about it:
- We avoid using images that depict people, race and various identity groups in stereotypical ways.
- We avoid using such resources in teaching and weed them from library collections.
- We take pains to cleanse Halloween costumes of any evidence of cultural appropriation.
- We don't use books that depict indigenous peoples inaccurately, stereotypically or as caricatures. Same with people/characters of other races/ethnicities.
Yet this book, aimed at young children, features images of a character (even if it is a drag queen) caricaturing women - showing stereotypically hyper-sexualized "womanhood” (e.g. skimpy clothing, fishnet stockings, thigh-high boots with spike heels, provocative poses).
And why even do kids need to learn about drag queens? Seems like an adult scene to me. Even if this is meant to show a performer “expressing who they are”, this this depiction of femininity and womanhood is seen by many as very disrespectful. We would not tolerate any other group being caricatured and stereotyped in this manner. Women (half the population!) are much more multi-faceted than what is depicted here, as is femininity in general.
Nor does the thin plot line add any redeeming value. Some people might be swayed by the cuteness factor - puppy in danger who is rescued by a drag queen. And wow, drag queen gets a special award for saving a puppy. Come on -more than a bit of a stretch.
If what you want is a book that plays to diversity & inclusion, there are MUCH better options that do so in a more respectful, dignified ways, without depicting crass and sexualized images and without undermining the dignity of one entire group of humanity (women) in order to promote/support another group (gay men, gender fluid people, etc.)
- We avoid using images that depict people, race and various identity groups in stereotypical ways.
- We avoid using such resources in teaching and weed them from library collections.
- We take pains to cleanse Halloween costumes of any evidence of cultural appropriation.
- We don't use books that depict indigenous peoples inaccurately, stereotypically or as caricatures. Same with people/characters of other races/ethnicities.
Yet this book, aimed at young children, features images of a character (even if it is a drag queen) caricaturing women - showing stereotypically hyper-sexualized "womanhood” (e.g. skimpy clothing, fishnet stockings, thigh-high boots with spike heels, provocative poses).
And why even do kids need to learn about drag queens? Seems like an adult scene to me. Even if this is meant to show a performer “expressing who they are”, this this depiction of femininity and womanhood is seen by many as very disrespectful. We would not tolerate any other group being caricatured and stereotyped in this manner. Women (half the population!) are much more multi-faceted than what is depicted here, as is femininity in general.
Nor does the thin plot line add any redeeming value. Some people might be swayed by the cuteness factor - puppy in danger who is rescued by a drag queen. And wow, drag queen gets a special award for saving a puppy. Come on -more than a bit of a stretch.
If what you want is a book that plays to diversity & inclusion, there are MUCH better options that do so in a more respectful, dignified ways, without depicting crass and sexualized images and without undermining the dignity of one entire group of humanity (women) in order to promote/support another group (gay men, gender fluid people, etc.)
February 13, 2021
Auntie Uncle, Drag Queen Hero opens words written by Marti Gould Cummings, a drag queen and a wonderful advocate for equality. Marti’s words educate and show the reader that being a drag queen is an artform, an act of self -expression and the coming together of a community.
I think it’s fair to say that most children (and adults) are mostly unaware of the drag queen community and what it is about. Thankfully through education and beautiful books like Auntie Uncle we can all learn to embrace our differences and become part of a more accepting culture. Ellie Royce uses this beautiful story to show us that compassion, acceptance and equality are for everyone, not just those we can relate too. It’s a gentle tale that opens the eyes of the reader and encourages everyone to embrace their true identity.
Leo is an accountant, Lotta is a drag queen. Aunty Uncle, is told from the perspective of Leo and Lotta’s nephew who adores both for their strengths and everything they have to offer him. Both Leo and Lotta are helpful and fun, but when Leo and Lotta come together, an Auntie Uncle is definitely the best. Leo and Lotta are one and the same and with the encouragement of his nephew, Leo is able to truly embrace his identity and find the courage to be both Leo and Lotta at the same time, a lesson on living fearlessly that both children and adults can learn from.
Just as lovely as the message are the illustrations by Hannah Chambers. Hannah’s work has so much fun and character that you instantly want to be part of this family, and maybe belt out a tune or two. A lot of fun, and a lot of fabulousness!
I think it’s fair to say that most children (and adults) are mostly unaware of the drag queen community and what it is about. Thankfully through education and beautiful books like Auntie Uncle we can all learn to embrace our differences and become part of a more accepting culture. Ellie Royce uses this beautiful story to show us that compassion, acceptance and equality are for everyone, not just those we can relate too. It’s a gentle tale that opens the eyes of the reader and encourages everyone to embrace their true identity.
Leo is an accountant, Lotta is a drag queen. Aunty Uncle, is told from the perspective of Leo and Lotta’s nephew who adores both for their strengths and everything they have to offer him. Both Leo and Lotta are helpful and fun, but when Leo and Lotta come together, an Auntie Uncle is definitely the best. Leo and Lotta are one and the same and with the encouragement of his nephew, Leo is able to truly embrace his identity and find the courage to be both Leo and Lotta at the same time, a lesson on living fearlessly that both children and adults can learn from.
Just as lovely as the message are the illustrations by Hannah Chambers. Hannah’s work has so much fun and character that you instantly want to be part of this family, and maybe belt out a tune or two. A lot of fun, and a lot of fabulousness!
July 22, 2021
Rubery Book Award Children's Winner 2021
The boy in the story loves his Uncle Leo who is good with numbers and works in an office, but the boy also loves his bright, beautiful Aunt Lotta just as much. Leo and Lotta are actually the same person… Leo/Lotta keeps his/her lives and his/her sets of friends very much separate, and neither his work colleagues nor her drag queen friends know anything about each other. But when Leo/Lotta performs an heroic act, everyone is going to find out the truth, and what will their reaction be?
There are so many brilliant layers of meaning here – how we show different faces to the world, how we feel when two different worlds we are part of collide, what true friendship really is, the struggle to establish an identity, the acceptance of people who are seen as ‘different’. The illustrations are zingy and exuberant, the use of colour is wonderful, and so is the way the close and loving relationship between Leo and his nephew is portrayed.
The boy in the story loves his Uncle Leo who is good with numbers and works in an office, but the boy also loves his bright, beautiful Aunt Lotta just as much. Leo and Lotta are actually the same person… Leo/Lotta keeps his/her lives and his/her sets of friends very much separate, and neither his work colleagues nor her drag queen friends know anything about each other. But when Leo/Lotta performs an heroic act, everyone is going to find out the truth, and what will their reaction be?
There are so many brilliant layers of meaning here – how we show different faces to the world, how we feel when two different worlds we are part of collide, what true friendship really is, the struggle to establish an identity, the acceptance of people who are seen as ‘different’. The illustrations are zingy and exuberant, the use of colour is wonderful, and so is the way the close and loving relationship between Leo and his nephew is portrayed.
February 25, 2021
Express who you are! Be you! Dress up in the way that expresses yourself best!!! Inside out… This book is vibrant with illustrations by Hannah Cambers and text written by Ellie Royce. I found this book at my local library. It was the 2019 New England Book Award Winner for Fiction. This story shows such beauty. There is an introduction that precedes the story defining what drag means and identifies it as an art form. It truly is full of happiness about who you are and expressing yourself without judgement and only with acceptance! A pure measure of the mixture including what one represents and being proud of who you are! All of you!!! It is about liking and loving someone for their representation! It is about caring and accepting others! This book is ideal for teaching an SEL lesson about identity and acceptance to young learners… It is a wonderful read…
June 4, 2023
A delightful early reader book about a boy who helps his drag queen uncle make an important decision. The narrator adores his Uncle Leo, who is an accountant during the day and a drag queen at night. The story is wholesome and lacking in drama. When "Auntie Lotta" saves a runaway dog during a Pride parade, the town's mayor wants to reward the heroic drag queen. But Uncle Leo is worried. His accounting coworkers know him as Leo while his evening and weekend friends know him as Lotta. Who should he show up as to the awards ceremony? His nephew offers him some practical advice that ends up introducing his Auntie Uncle's friends and coworkers. The story is not as dramatic as you'd expect for a drag queen. The nephew adores his Auntie Uncle and is happy to help with the problem. Loving acceptance, problem solving, and some fierce fashion makes this a fun read.
October 28, 2021
This book is about a little boys uncle who is an accountant during the day and a drag at night and he takes his nephew on the journey. I love how the introduction explains what is drag for the kids can understand before reading. The mom is very accepting and allows her child to see who his uncle is truly is she doesn’t try to keep him away from his uncle because he’s a drag queen. Some parents would keep their kids away from their uncle because of his decision to be a drag queen. Some may say it can confuse a child but just like this book did they can explain to their kids what is drag. This book teaches kids that everyone is different and we should still love them for who they are. The colorful cartoon images in this book brought the book to life.
Read
June 12, 2022While I have not read this to a class yet, when I have my own I think this would be an excellent book to introduce during pride month. This book focuses on self-expression and fosters a great sense of celebrating every aspect of yourself through the story of the boy's uncle, who sometimes performs as a drag queen. The book comes to a head with the uncle feeling conflicted about how those who know him as a man may view him differently to those who view him as a drag queen, and ends with the uncle feeling confident and accepted in all aspects of himself: an Auntie Uncle. I found this a very fun way of showing how important it is to be accepting of yourself and of others, which I believe to be essential things to encourage in all children from a young age.
November 8, 2022
Read: November 7th, 2022 (approximately)
Title: Auntie Uncle Drag Queen Hero
Author: Ellie Royce
Illustrator: Hannah Chambers
Genre: Children’s Picture Book, LGBTQIA+
Rating: 4.5/5
Review:
There is so much to love about this book, so I’ll just start off with the negatives:
There isn’t a real climax to the book and it’s not very adventurous so its not one of the books that I could reread repeatedly and not get board of.
Now for the positive:
EVERYTHING! This book is practically perfect! It’s lighthearted but realistic. It’s fun and colorful, moving and heartfelt. It has LGBTQIA+ representation and acceptance.
With such a great message and beautiful and fun artwork, this is definitely one of my favorite children’s books so far.
Quotes:
N/A
Title: Auntie Uncle Drag Queen Hero
Author: Ellie Royce
Illustrator: Hannah Chambers
Genre: Children’s Picture Book, LGBTQIA+
Rating: 4.5/5
Review:
There is so much to love about this book, so I’ll just start off with the negatives:
There isn’t a real climax to the book and it’s not very adventurous so its not one of the books that I could reread repeatedly and not get board of.
Now for the positive:
EVERYTHING! This book is practically perfect! It’s lighthearted but realistic. It’s fun and colorful, moving and heartfelt. It has LGBTQIA+ representation and acceptance.
With such a great message and beautiful and fun artwork, this is definitely one of my favorite children’s books so far.
Quotes:
N/A
Read
March 30, 2022I've never seen a children's book that addressed drag culture before. Children's books addressing queer culture at all is few and far between. It's still much of a taboo in lots of places, especially now with the "don't say gay" bill drama going on. I think it's a shame that many people want to hide the LGBTQ+ community from children in this day and age, but books like this that express queer culture as something normal that can be accepted are a godsend. It gives me hope for my future as a gay elementary school teacher.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews