dePaola, Tomie. Oliver Button is a Sissy. Orlando: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1979.
Oliver didn't do things most boys did. He liked to jump rope, read, play with paper dolls, and play dress-up. His father would yell and tell him to play sports outside. Oliver's parents let him take up tap dancing "just for exercise". He got teased by the boys at school but he kept on practicing. When it was announced that there was going to be a talent show, Oliver's parents let him sign up. The day of the talent show, the auditorium was full and Oliver's performance got lots of applause. Oliver's parents were very proud. However, Oliver didn't win first prize so he was really sad and didn't even want to go to school the next day. His mom made him go to school and when he got there he saw that on the wall where the boys had written, "OLIVER BUTTON IS A SISSY!" it now said "OLIVER BUTTON IS A STAR!"
The story of Oliver is different from Heather Has Two Mommies and Daddy's Roommate because the actual child in the story is the one with the questionable gender identity instead of one of the parents. The story is meant to break down the stereotypical gender boundaries by addressing that a boy can be very talented at doing "sissy" things. I would probably choose this story last out of the three books to present to my classroom because I don't think it tackles the issues of diversity and acceptance as well as the other two. I think it first pokes fun at a boy for what he likes to do and then tries to get the reader to get over their own judgments about Oliver by showing he has a real talent. What if a boy likes to dance and sing but isn't very good at it, would it be alright for the kids at school to pick on him then and call him a sissy?
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