The Nonbinary Bunny

by Maia Kobabe

Written and illustrated by Maia Kobabe, this story is a loving remake of The Runaway Bunny. It can be read free on the author's Tumblr page, Redgoldsparks.

Genres: Picture Books, LGBT, Queer, Childrens, Genderfluid, Fiction, Graphic Novels

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2019

About the author

Maia Kobabe is a nonbinary, queer, trans author, a voracious reader, a kpop fan, and a daydreamer. You can learn an astonishing number of intimate details about em in GENDER QUEER: A MEMOIR and in eir short comics and writing published by The New Yorker, The Nib, NPR, Time Magazine, The Washington Post and in many print anthologies. GENDER QUEER won a Stonewall Honor and an Alex Award from the American Library Association in 2020. It was also the number one most challenged book in the United States in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Maia's second book is BREATHE: JOURNEYS TO HEALTHY BINDING written with Dr Sarah Peitzmeier (Dutton, 2024). Eir next book is OPTING OUT, a middle grade graphic novel with Lucky Srikumar (Scholastic Graphix, 2026).

redgoldsparks on instagram
patreon.com/maiakobabe
redgoldsparks.tumblr.com
resources for fighting book bans

Reviews

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't really a book, and calling it a short story would be generous, but it is cute and heartwarming. Author Maia Kobabe mimicked the art (though less softly) and cadence of Margaret Wise Brown's gentle classic The Runaway Bunny, but instead of the mother countering her bunny's statements, here, the bunny defines "nonbinary" for the mother.

At this time The Nonbinary Bunny is unpublished. Read it free here: https://redgoldsparks.tumblr.com/post...

It's a sweet complement to Seeing Gender: An Illustrated Guide to Identity and Expression.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, short, beautifully illustrated tale about a little bunny who tells Mom that e is not a boy or a girl.






I love how the writer seems to realize that the older generation may have trouble understanding gender fluidity, but it does not mean that we are trans-phobic or intolerant.

When us old fogies were growing up, becoming another sex involved years of angsty self examination, even more years of psychological counseling, and a trip to Zurich for expensive gender reassignment surgery. And, there really wasn't such a thing as being without gender.

This is a new thing for us, so please be tolerant, and patient if we occasionally forget your pronouns.

We love you, and accept you, and support you.

Thanks for the heads up, Caroline.

Read for free - https://redgoldsparks.tumblr.com/post...

[Rod Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet little story that beautifully defines nonbinary and models acceptance. Terrific for young and old.

Available to read free online:
https://redgoldsparkspress.com/projec...

I've been meaning to read this for a while, and it fit in perfectly today with my re-read of The Runaway Bunny as part of a cataloging project I'm doing for my home library.

[MAYA · Rating 4 out of 5]

”Male and female bleed into each other like the day and night. [...] There is space between them for sunrise and sunsets.”

🥺

(the first piece of non-binary fiction I’ve read)

[Tres Trece · Rating 3 out of 5]

BIG AAWWWWWWWWWW ♥

I love representation.

[Zina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dangerous.

[Peachgirl · Rating 1 out of 5]

creepy, don't force this stuff on kids

[Mark Robison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this much better than the book that inspired it, Margaret Wise Brown's "The Runaway Bunny," which is beautifully illustrated but is ultimately about an overprotective mother who stifles her child's dreams. This version has a mother who doesn't understand her baby but lets eir be and just loves eir. The unconditional love of the mother is palpable. It's also one of the best descriptions of what being nonbinary is like that I've read.

For a great adult book about being nonbinary, check out "All Boys Aren't Blue" by George M. Johnson, who was president of his fraternity.

[Orion (elfspectations) · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite children's book and a Big Mood all rolled up in one. This is magnificent! I nearly cried but I held it in since I read it in public. I loved it. The worst part was the end because then there was no more to read.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cried a little bit 🐇

[Adam Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The nonbinary bunny. what a book. this book not only has twist and turns. but is a extravagant read for all ages. The scene where the bunny said "thats right. i am THE Nonbinary Bunny." brought me to tears. My 2 year old queer child heavily related, and found that xems experience was quite comparable to this fine piece of literature. With a stroke of every page, i feel the thrill of a new twist that is sure to shock me the same as the last.

Booktok

As a book-toker myself, and a sprouts/sproutself, Asexual, Demi-dinosaur, and a Dream simpson enthusiast. i can fairly rate the spice level of this book to a 8.5/10. The feelings between the non-binary bunny and their trans husband felt intimate and real. The description is that of a beautifully written wattpad story that was lost to 4chan in 2014.

Overall

This book was a rollercoaster of emotions. The shear amount of suspense was enough for my clothes to strip off into the sunset. My homophobic Grandpa is now wearing tights with pink nails and teal blue earrings. The emotion is just superb and unreal. Thank you for blessing me on planet earth with this beautiful piece of literature

You'res truly,
Adam G. Garcia

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a (very) short story, inspired by the classic picture book THE RUNAWAY BUNNY. Mother bunny doesn't understand and admits as such, so her baby bunny patiently explains. Even though Mom cannot place herself in her child's experience, she emphasizes her love, no matter the little one's identity.

[Amanda Tolentino · Rating 5 out of 5]

My heart 🥰

[mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is so goddamn adorable. wish there was a portuguese version so i could buy it for my future children and students.

[a k · Rating 3 out of 5]

the fact that i read the comebacks like peter nguyen's alter ego sends me

[Richard Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

After loving Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer, I was delighted to find some of eir's other work available online. A wonderful all-ages intro to non-binary for those who need it. Actually, it's just a beautifully illustrated story of inclusivity full-stop.

[No. · Rating 5 out of 5]

*WARNING* I have given up on hiding spoilers for picture books. It’s way too much work to try to write about 20 pages or less without talking about what happens within those 20 pages. So if you’re really that picky about spoilers, don’t read this review


This was a lovely little story, and I really hope it gets published as an actual book someday so I can put it next to my copy of The Runaway Bunny. And guess what? Since I’m not feeling super lazy today, you get to read a review that is actually in my normal format! (Don’t worry, we’ll be back to 3-sentence reviews before you know it.)

PROS:

*pretty art

*accurate to the original (as far as the words and art go)

*at the end, the mother doesn’t just magically understand her child. Instead, she says, “Whether you are sunrise, a frog, a cat, or a bird, I am still your mother. I will support you wherever you go.” She has never thought of gender as anything except male and female, and one short conversation isn’t going to change that. But she still loves and supports her child, whatever e does with eir life.

CONS:

*art could be just a liiiiiittle bit prettier.

*no offense, but the title is bad. It’s a great story, but “nonbinary bunny” just doesn’t roll off the tongue like “runaway bunny” I’ll admit, I don’t know what you should change it to and it could be a lot worse, (non-gender-conforming bunny, for example) so if that’s what the title is, it’s not the end of the world, but I feel like it could do better.

*I feel like it should be just a bit longer.


|~|~|~|~|

Thoughts before reading:

In the kindest way possible, what the heck did I just find. I do not even have words for this. I guess I’ll go read it. XD

|~|~|~|~|


Free to read here —> https://redgoldsparks.tumblr.com/post...

Okay, what is it with me and children’s bunny books? I swear I do not know what is happening here.

[Fi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish it was longer!!

[Hitzuji · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aiñ, qué cute.

[adri♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

wish my mother was as accepting as a talking bunny

[Julii · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it and it is really cute and gives great examples for people to understand what nonbinary means.

[herondale ☀️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

[English/Spanish]

God, do I love this.

This could make a great picture book for children. The clean style, the metaphors —everything makes the idea of being non-binary easy for them to grasp. I also loved how the mother was supportive all the way, even if she didn't understand the little bunny at first.

...........................

Me encanta, qué preciosidad.

Esta historia quedaría genial como un libro para niñes por el tipo de ilustración y por las metáforas, que hacen que todo lo del género sea fácil de entender. También ha sido muy bonito ver que la madre apoyaba a su hije desde el principio, incluso cuando no entendía qué era ser no binarie.

[NTE · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Mommy Bunny reacting just how all Mamas should if their kid feels like they don't fit in the category they were originally labelled as. Super quick, super sweet, super safe read for nonbinary, questioning and otherwise queer kiddos, and their friends and families. The fact that the PDF is immediately available, and free is just another, extra bonus, because it means the people who need to read it might actually have access to it.

[Andi_banandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this a while ago. I wasn't thinking much of it, but I just read Gender Queer by Kobabe and realized e also wrote this book.

Seeing eir spirit in this book is actually really sweet. It's very gentle, and after reading Kobabe's memoir, I can see how this dialogue played out similarly with eir mom. I could see this book as a continuation of that dialogue.

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

The non binary bunny me introdujo por primera vez al término no binario. No es un término nuevo para mí, ya me habían explicado su significado diferentes personas, y sí tenía una idea de lo que significaba pero nada concreto y que me lo haya dejado tan claro como este adorable libro infantil.

Me encanta que este dirigido a un público infantil por dos razones; la primera, es muy fácil comprender este término con un vocabulario tan sencillo sin tantos tecnicismos y la segunda, que empiece a haber libros para explicar la diversidad a tan pronta edad, favorece la tolerancia.

Un libro adorable que todo el mundo deberia y puede (la autora lo publicó completamente gratis en su página) leer. No hay excusas.

[Aster · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Runaway Bunny was one of my favorite books when I was little, and this is a really cute retelling that explains nonbinary is ways that make sense to a little kid. I might give this to my little sisters for Christmas to explain what their big sibling means when they say they're nonbinary.

[Claudette Sanchez · Rating 3 out of 5]

SO CUTE!!!

[Citlaly Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

so cute

[Consumidor de Historias · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maravilloso.

[Burlgurl · Rating 5 out of 5]

sweet take on an old story. lovely images. gentle nudging on important issues.